In Revelation chapter 7, the
Apostle John said, After this I looked. In the fourth and fifth chapters,
he gave us a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ as he is on the
throne, seated on the throne, worshiped as the Lamb who took
the book. and was found worthy to open
the seals, to loose the seals and to open the book, that book
being the book of God's absolute purpose, symbolic clearly, but
the book representing that which was written, fixed, firm, and
sealed, the mystery of God hidden from men. And the seven seals
of the book then began to be described and spoken of in the
sixth chapter of Revelation. You get into the sixth chapter
and you see six of the seals opened. John looked and he saw
Christ riding forth in the gospel on a white horse, triumphing,
saving his people by the power of his grace. And he saw a red
horse taking peace from the earth, bringing turmoil and trouble.
And he saw a black horse bringing sorrow and heaviness, and a pale
horse bringing death. And he said, I saw the saints
of God under the throne, those who were the martyrs for the
testimony of Jesus. And while it is true, there may
be some specific reference to those who have literally died
physically because of the gospel. The word martyr means witness,
and our Savior said, you are my witnesses. The word witness
means martyr. A witness is one who has laid
down his life in the cause. That's what all believers are,
men and women who lay down their lives in the cause of Christ.
And they are crying, how long, Lord, before you judge and avenge
the blood of your saints? And then John goes on and speaks
of judgment coming. And then in chapter 7, before
we get to the opening of the seventh seal, that begins in
chapter 8 with the various trumpet judgments that are to come, these
seven seals of the book of God, speaking of the absolute, sure
purpose of God that must be fulfilled, But the Lord seems to say to
John, now, there's something you need to understand right
in the middle of this. You need to understand, don't
ever take your eyes off of this. Don't ever forget this. And he
showed him the picture of God's purpose accomplished in the seventh
chapter. He showed him how the angel cried,
touch not the earth. Don't hurt the earth. Don't bring
judgment yet. Don't destroy things yet. Until
the servants of God have been sealed in their forehead. And
he names them. They are the 144,000 chosen people
of God, represented by 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of
Israel. Later they're described as a
great multitude that no man can number. So it gives a specific
number so that that specific number is represented as being
complete and perfect. And yet it is that number that
no man knows, a number beyond calculation. As we saw this morning,
God's people, Ephraim, increases and increases and increases until
place cannot be found for them in the earth, like the sands
of the sea and the stars of the sky. But these are all sealed
by God's grace. Sealed, that is, they are brought
into the blessed bond of the covenant, and all the blessings
of covenant grace are sealed to their hearts when they believe
on Christ. You also were sealed after that
for having believed on the Son of God. The seal of God is that
which God works in us, giving us confident assurance that He
is ours and we are His in His almighty grace, because we are
in Jesus Christ, believing Him. I was asked just again this morning
about that passage in 2 Peter 3.9. The Lord is not slack concerning
His promises, some men count slackness, but is longsuffering
to usward. Not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance and knowledge of the truth. And
the question is often asked, well, what do you do with that?
Why should I do anything with that? I was delighted in it.
I rejoiced in it. Well, if that's so, then the
election can't be so. Don't misunderstand the scriptures
and let the perversion of men's thoughts cause you to misunderstand
what's written. The Lord is not slack concerning
his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering
to us-ward. He's not longsuffering to this
world. His long-suffering got nothing to do with this world.
He's long-suffering to those whom He has sealed in His grace,
and whom He shall seal in the experience of grace whom He has
chosen from old eternity. And He's not willing that any
of those toward whom He's long-suffering shall perish, but that every
one of them come to repentance. And I know that's what it means,
because right down in the lower part of the book, in that same
chapter, Peter tells us, no, the Spirit of God tells us, don't
you know the long-suffering of our God is salvage? So that the
long-suffering of God with His elect and toward His elect in
this world is that by which in time He is accomplishing His
purpose of grace for the saving of our souls. Now, these are
all sealed, and John sees them. bowing before the throne, all
the elders and the angels, bowing and shouting praise to God, salvation
to our God and to the Lamb that sits on the throne. Let Him have
all dominion, power, honor, and glory. And then in verse 13,
one of the elders, one of those who is sitting at the throne,
worshiping and praising Him, answered, saying unto me, What
are these? which are arrayed in white robes. And which came they? And I said
unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me, 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
they are 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, neither
thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any
heat." Now watch this. This is where I'm going. Why is it they hunger and thirst
no more? Why is it they wash their robes and make them white?
Why is it they are before the throne of God? Why is it they
are sealed? Why is it they are kept and preserved?
Why is it that God will not destroy this world until every one of
them have at last been brought to glory? Why is it that all
these things are so? Just one reason. for the Lamb
which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall
lead them unto fountains of living waters, and God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes." It is as though the Lord were saying
to John and to us, don't overly concern yourself about the trumpets
and the opening of the seals and the vials poured out upon
the earth. This is what's going on. This
is what I'm doing. God help us ever to understand
that in all that transpires in this world, our God is saving
his people for the glory of his name. Is this talking about God's
saints already in heaven, or is it talking about God's saints
on earth? Yes, sir, that's what it's talking about. That's exactly
what it's talking about. The blessedness that is now enjoyed
by Abraham is the same blessedness we have here. He enjoys it better,
but it's the same blessedness. The privileges Jacob now has
before God in heaven are the same privileges we have now in
Jesus Christ. He enjoys them better. He sees
them more clearly, but they are the same privileges. The things
that we read here are true concerning every sinner who trusts the Son
of God. You see, grace is glory begun,
and glory is grace finished. So that the saints of God in
heaven and the saints of God on the earth, all are heirs of
the same full inheritance of Christ our Redeemer. And indeed,
you and I who are upon the earth and going to heaven are already
there. Read the book, Hebrews chapter
12, he says, you are come. It doesn't say you are going
to come, you are come, or we are come unto Mount Zion, the
city of the living God, the new Jerusalem, the church, the general
assembly and church of the firstborn. We were quickened together with
Christ and risen with Him and seated with Him in heavenly places
so that we truly are with Him in heaven. And soon these bodies
shall be laid in the dust and then in resurrection glory transformed
so that physically that which is true spiritually, so that
physically That which is really true, we've come to experience. All right, now let's look at
this blessedness. Here, the Spirit of God speaks of the blessedness
of God's saints in eight specific ways. He tells us that we who
believe are blessed of God in our being. When I wrote that
down, I wrote down state. I thought, well, we stand in
this grace. We are in this state of grace. But the salvation God gives us,
the grace we experience, the redemption that's ours in Christ
is more than a theoretical state. It is more than a legal standing. It is blessedness in our being. We have been washed, justified,
and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit
of our God. Washed, justified, and sanctified. Now, we were justified when Christ
Jesus died for us at Calvary. That was our standing legally. We were justified by God's decree
in eternity. That was our standing legally. But let me tell you something.
Merle Hart, that standing didn't yield any peace or comfort or
consolation of any kind. We were born children of wrath,
just like everybody else. The wrath of God abiding on us,
just like everybody else. Well, how could that be? We were
justified. I didn't know it. That's how it can be. I didn't
know it. Had no knowledge of it at all.
And the standing did me no good personally and experientially.
But now, having been washed, washed by the renewing of the
Holy Ghost through the Word, so that God comes with his word
by the gospel and purges our consciences with dead works,
declaring to us our iniquities taken away, declaring to us that
we're justified, declaring to us that Christ has put away our
sin, washed and sanctified, made new by his grace. Now, our blessedness
is the reality of our being new in Jesus Christ. Our blessedness
is the reality of new life given us in Christ. Our blessedness
is the reality of Christ coming in us and causing us to live
in him. Second, he tells us that we are
blessed of God because we are before the throne
of God continually. Who are these? But these are
those people who are always before the throne. Always before the throne. Bowing before the throne. Worshipping
before the throne. But best yet, under the care
of Him who sits on the throne. I've told you before, back in
1969, Just before I met Brother Henry
Mahan, his older son Robbie, who had some aspirations for preaching
the gospel of God's grace, volunteered and went to serve his nation
in Vietnam. If I remember correctly, on his
way to the base after he got off the plane, a truck that was
carrying him was hit with enemy fire. He was killed. Some will-worshipping,
free-will preacher, locally, read it in the paper, called
Henry the next morning in his office and said, where is your
God now? Brother Mahan responded this
way, he's just exactly where he was when my son was born. He's on his throne. God teach
me so to believe Him. Who are these? These who are
God's sealed ones. Who are they? Who are these who
have been washed and justified and sanctified? Who made their
robes white in the blood of the Lamb? Who are they? They are
people under the abiding care of God on His throne. That's who we are. We are blessed. as his servants as well. They're
described as those who serve him day and night in his temple. Day and night. Well, we can't always be serving
the Lord. If we're His, we always do. Serving the Lord. I'm planning
to get my work done early. So that Saturday when my grandson
comes visit with us, I can take him to the lake and go fishing.
And you know what I'm going to do while I take him fishing?
I'm going to worship God. I'm going to serve my God as
I relax and enjoy a day with my son-in-law and my grandson.
Well, what does that mean? We don't worship God. We don't serve God one day in
seven. The believer's life is a life
of service to God. We are his servants all the time. Religious folks set aside Sunday,
this is the day we worship God. This is the day we come to the
house of God and worship with his saints. And I promise you,
if you don't come to the house of God and worship with His saints,
you don't worship Him when you go home. God's people assemble
together and worship Him. But we don't just worship Him
on Sunday. We don't just offer a tie to
give Him a little bit of what we have. Believers are men and
women. As I said in the beginning, who
have laid down their lives and continually laid down their lives
in the master's cause. Don't you believe in tithing?
No. No. No, don't believe in tithing.
I believe in giving. I believe in worshiping God.
Don't you believe in Sabbath keeping? Yes, I really do. I
really do. All the time. Every day it's
called faith in Christ. And then he tells us, he that
sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. I'm with you always. I'll come and make myself known
to you. I'll manifest myself to you and not into the world. Even when I don't make myself
known, I'm with you. Even when I hide my face, I'm
with you. Even when it appears that I have
abandoned you, I'm with you. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Let your
moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at work. I say to my friends, my family,
folks all over the world, get to know them a little bit, and
I say, now listen, I want you to understand this. I'm here
for you. I hope you know that. I'm here
for you. Anytime, day or night, you need me, I'm here for you. But that doesn't do you much
good. Because I'm in the same boat
you're in, just flesh. That won't do you much good.
It's nice to have somebody who's a friend, who weeps with you
and rejoices with you. But it's a whole lot nicer to
have somebody who can make a difference. And the Master, God your Savior,
He who sits on the throne, is with you. This is our company. Truly we have fellowship with
the Father and with His Son. Truly we do. Truly we do. Now
look at verse 16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither
shall the sun light on them, nor any hate. Believers are free. Free. I know we're free from
the law, but that's not all. We're free. Because we are one
with Christ and Christ our God is ever with us, we are freed
from care. We ought to be free of care,
but we are freed from care. That is to say, there's no need
for you to care about anything. No need for you to fret and worry
about anything. No need for you to carry any weight. No need
for you to carry any heaviness. We are freed from all fear of
what? Christ meets our needs. Spiritual needs, eternal needs,
yes. But he meets our carnal needs
and our daily needs. Jesus said unto them, I am the
bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Never
hunger and never thirst. Turn to Psalm 121. Psalm 121. The sun of affliction cannot
smite us. The heat of persecution can never
harm us. There shall no evil happen to
the just. Let nothing, therefore, make
you uneasy. O my soul, be at ease. Christ is yours. O my soul, Be at ease. Christ is mine. Did you hear
that? Christ is mine. I will lift up
mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help
cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth. He will not
suffer. He will not allow your foot to
be moved. He that keepeth thee, not he
who keeps you most of the time, he that keepeth thee all the
time will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is thy shade upon thy
right hand. The sun shall not smite thee
by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee,
look at this, from all evil. All of it. No evil shall happen
to you. He shall preserve thy soul. The
Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in. Going
out and coming in where? Well, since he didn't specify,
I reckon it means anywhere. He shall preserve thy going out
in the morning and thy coming in at night. He shall preserve
thy going out to trouble and coming in to peace. He shall
preserve your going out to difficulty and coming in to rest from this
time forth and even forevermore. Look at Isaiah 35 for a minute.
Isaiah 35. And highway shall be there, we
read in verse 8, and the way, and it shall be called the way
of holiness. I think I know his name, don't
you? Christ said, I am the way. The
unclean shall not pass over it. But it shall be for those, the
wayfaring men, the fools, shall not err therein. Now watch this. No lion shall be there. Oh, that
can't be talking about this day. This must be talking about the
millennium or something. Because Satan is a roaring lion,
goeth about seeking whom he may devour, going up and down in
the earth. You missed part of it. He goes up and down in the
earth. He never gets in this way. We
hear him roar in this way. We hear his roars. But he isn't
in this way. And he can't get in this way.
There's no lion in this way. Not only that, there's not any
ravenous beast shall go up there. It shall not be found there.
Well, who's in this way? The redeemed of the Lord shall
walk therein, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and
come to Zion, come to Zion by Christ Jesus with songs and everlasting
joy upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness. Now watch this. And sorrow and
sighing shall flee away. Back in our text. Verse 17, For the Lamb that is
in the midst of the throne shall feed them. The Lamb in the midst of the
throne. Now hear me. God help you to
hear me. If there is anything on this
earth that will inspire your soul to devotion, Anything on
this earth that will comfort you in trouble. Anything on this
earth that will dry your tears and take away your sorrow and
your sighing. Anything on this earth that will
cause you to walk before God with confidence, knowing all that you are and
all your corruption and all your evil. If there's anything that
will cause you to walk before God with confidence, and live
in this world in peace. This is it. He who gave His life for you. He who bore the wrath of God
to redeem you. He who loved you with an everlasting
love and so loved you that He came down here in this world
in your human nature lived and died as your representative,
and rose again, took your very nature with him back to glory. And he's touched with all that
touches you. And he's God sitting on his throne. Not pacing, not wringing his
hands, he's sitting. And he's sitting on his throne
with the book in his hand, doing exactly what he wants to. And
what he wants to is save you. What he wants to is bring you
home. What he wants to is make you
well. What he wants to is do you good. What he wants to is make you
like himself. He says here, the lamb that is
in the midst of the throne shall feed them. The word feed here has the idea
of a pastoral or shepherd work. You remember the Lord said to
Peter, feed my sheep, feed my sheep, feed my sheep. It's my
responsibility to feed your souls with knowledge and understanding.
But here he says, he shall feed them, feed them, feed them like
a shepherd. He shall rule over them. take care of them, protect them,
provide for them, enfold them, and bring them home. The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. Who is? The Lord, my Redeemer. Who's my Shepherd? The Lord,
my Savior. Who's my Shepherd? The Lord,
who created everything. Who's my Shepherd? The Lord,
you talk about this morning. That One whom God has exalted
and set in His own right hand. Whom God has made Lord in Christ. Who's my Shepherd? God Almighty,
my Redeemer. Well, if that's the case, and it is,
I shall not want. And then he says he shall lead
them to fountains of water. In the midst of trouble and trial,
temptation and sorrow in this world, Christ Jesus promises
to order our steps and lead us to fountains of living water. Fountains. His word. Thank you, Blessed Shepherd.
When I would not feed on these green grasses, you graciously
make me lie down in green pastures and feed here. And when I would
not drink from this fountain of water, you graciously force
me to drink. He shall lead them to fountains
of living water, His Spirit, all the grace of His Spirit,
to fountains of living water to Himself. He shall lead them. to cleanse and comfort and revive
them. Now watch this, and God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes. He will swallow up death in victory. The Lord God will wipe away tears
from off all faces, and the rebuke of His people shall He take away
from off the earth. For the Lord has spoken it. Oh, while we're here, we will
continue to have some tears. Tears about a lot of things. Being at peace doesn't mean you're
free of tears and pain. Resting in Christ doesn't mean
you're free from all the things that afflict other men. You're
not. We have to suffer sickness and pain, sorrow and bereavement
just like everybody else. Faith in Christ doesn't change
that. I look in your faces and I realize that soon I'm going
to take a little dirt and throw it in your face or you're going
to take some and throw it in mine. We're leaving here. This world is a veil of tears
and God made it that way for us to keep us ever looking to
Him. But while we're going through
here, when the tears come, wipe them away. Comfort us with His good providence,
but there are other tears, tears we shed about which the world
knows nothing. All my sin. I sometimes get to thinking about
the past. Hang my head in shame. And then
I read what I just read to you. He shall take away their rebuke
from off the earth. Darwin, He has taken away my
rebuke. It's gone. Gone. Gone. Did you hear what Jesus said
to me? They're all taken away. Your sins are pardoned and you're
free. They're all taken away. But more than that, Oh, how my
heart breaks as I struggle with present evil and corruption and
sin. And even worse, when I don't. And he says, there's therefore
now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, and wipes
away the tears. And when I was younger, I used
to act like children do. You know, a kid gets in trouble. First thing he does is he lies
and says he didn't do whatever it was he was accused of. And
he knows he did it. And when it can't wiggle out
by line, I promise I'll never do it again. I promise I'll never
do it again. And when I was younger, I used
to hear foolish preachers talk like that. God's people, they
may fall in sin, but they'll quit and they won't do that anymore.
And I used to try to convince myself, well, I've with that
lust, I've conquered that evil, I've got that passion in control. And I look out for tomorrow,
and my heart breaks at the thought of what is in me and may erupt
from me. And I hear Him say, Lo, I am with you. He keeps and no evil shall happen to you. How can you know that? How can
you be sure of that? Because the Lamb is in the midst of the throne. Oh, may He set His throne in
your heart and mine. Amen.