Open your Bibles with me, please,
to the book of Revelation. Revelation chapter four. As I came through the door this
morning with Matthew Greenleaf asked me, said, Are you going
to preach today? And I said, we'll find out in
a little while. Time's come to find out. If God's pleased to
speak through this empty, dirty vessel,
then we will and you will profit. Otherwise, I'll try to be done
in a hurry and let you go home. Revelation chapter four. After
this. After this. If you look at the
first verse of the first chapter of this blessed, blessed book
that concludes the book of God, you will see the subject matter
of the book of Revelation. This is not a book about prophecy. It is not a book about the end
times. It's not a book about signs that
were to look for in the end. It's a book described as the
revelation of Jesus Christ. The whole book of revelation
is all about God's darling son, our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. The book of God is about him. And the final book of God is
about him. Please, please, please. young people and old, quit studying
the scriptures to fill your minds with facts about history, about
prophecy, about church dogma. Study this book, asking God to
fill your heart with the knowledge of his darling son. It's all
about him. This is not a book about morality.
It's not a book about science. It's not a book about history.
It's a book about God's son. Yes, the Word of God does teach
how we're to live in this world. Yes, the Word of God does speak
of scientific, historic matters. We understand that. And wherever
the Word of God speaks of scientific, historic matters, the Word of
God speaks with absolute authority and absolute accuracy and absolute
precision, and anything contrary to it is not true. But that's
not what the book's about. is about the person and work
of our dear Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the purpose
of the book is to draw out our hearts to Him in love and faith
and consecration continually. Oh, may God now draw out our
hearts to our Savior in faith, in love, in consecration to Him,
and in the blessed hope that is set before us. The revelation
of Jesus Christ is given in seven visions. If you read through
the book of Revelation at one setting, and I encourage you
to do so, you'll see that John is given seven distinct visions. Don't try to fit them all together.
Were you ever so foolish as to have some negatives when, you
know, when you used to go to the drugstore or to Walmart or
some place and you bought pictures and you got negatives. Did you
ever try to look at the negatives stacked on top of the other?
Well, nobody would do that. You're right. Nobody with good
sense would. Because you can't make anything of it. And if you
try to fit these seven visions together, it's like stacking
up seven rolls of negatives and trying to get a picture. That's
the reason you got Clarence Larkin's Dispensational Truths. You who
know about it can laugh out loud, you who don't know don't need
to know. The nonsense that comes with trying to fit it all together. No, the visions stand on their
own and each vision begins with the first advent of our Lord
Jesus. and takes us through the whole
of this gospel age and concludes with the second coming, the glorious
second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is what each
vision says. Are you ready? This is what each
vision says. We're going to win. It declares the sure triumph
of Jesus Christ and his church by the gospel. The sure triumph
of Jesus Christ and his church by the gospel. Preachers and
people quit whining and murmuring and complaining about the bad
day in which we live. This is the day God made for
us and there couldn't be a better day in which to serve him and
we're going to triumph. Possibility of failure does not
exist. God's church, God's kingdom shall
prevail for God's son shall prevail. The Lord Jesus said, I'll build
my rock on this church and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. I've seen a good many war movies.
I kind of like them. I've seen the old Western movies. I kind of like them. And I've
seen folks charge one place and charge another. But I'll tell
you what, I've never seen any army of any kind do. I've never
seen anybody pick up gates and attack somebody with them. Have
you? I've never seen anybody pick
up gates and attack somebody with them. But what's he saying?
The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. It is our business
to assault the very gates of hell by the gospel and watch
the gates of hell fall before the gospel. And it shall come
to pass. Indeed, it is coming to pass
every day as God daily adds to his church, such as should be
saved. So children of God, carry on
the work of the gospel. Servants of God, preach the gospel
of God's grace with confidence. Serve God in this generation
with delight and with confidence. Greg Gilchrist, there couldn't
be a better day in which to serve our Redeemer. This is a day God
made for you. This is the hour God's given
us. And we ought to seize the opportunity
with delight and excitement. This is what God's given us.
Let us give our whole hearts to it. Now, John begins Revelation
4 with those two words after this. The Lord Jesus sends us
as his church into this world. into the very arena of darkness
and sin and ungodliness with the gospel of his free grace,
assuring us that all who are ordained to eternal life shall
believe. Every sinner redeemed by the
precious blood of Christ shall be called by his grace. Every
one of Christ's sheep shall be sought for and called and found
by him and those sheep at the appointed time of love shall
hear his voice and he will save them every one. Now you tell me why we shouldn't
give ourselves wholeheartedly to this work. Entirely to this
work. There's no possibility of failure.
Oh, but there's so much trouble, so much difficulty, so much that
opposes us. So what? Have things ever been
any different? Find me a time in history when
things were different. Find me a place in history where
God's church didn't face what we face. Find me a place in history
where God's saints didn't deal with the very same things we
deal with today. Things haven't changed. Folks
still eat, drink, marry, and are given in marriage. That's
the way it was in Noah's day. That's the way it was in Jonah's
day. That's the way it was in our Lord's day. That's the way
it is today. That's what people do who live on this earth. They
eat, drink, marry the given in marriage, and that's all. They
live nothing but time. And God's churches always face
the same obstacles. And we see John giving us a picture
the Lord gave him. He sees seven golden candlesticks
and seven stars. And in the midst of the seven
golden candlesticks, holding the seven stars in his hands,
is Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, our crucified Redeemer. Those seven golden candlesticks
are gospel churches. Todd's Road Grace Church in Danville,
Kentucky. Central Grace Church in Rocky
Mount, Virginia. Those stars, or those candlesticks,
are the church of God in every age in this world. And the stars
are the angels of the churches, gospel preachers, God's pastors,
men he sent to be messengers to his churches. And the Lord
Jesus in every age of time is walking in the midst of his churches. He's walking in the midst of
his churches and he holds his servants in his right hand. the
hand of his power, so that nothing's going to touch the apple of his
eye, and nothing going to harm his servants. Nothing happens
with his people except that which he intends for their good and
our usefulness in this world by his grace. And then he gives
us some warnings. Speaks to the church at Ephesus,
and lists those seven churches of Abishamitah in chapters two
and three. And those seven churches don't
represent seven different church ages or seven different periods
of time. They represent God's church and
the trials and difficulties we face all the time. The assaults of Satan upon us
and the assaults of our own flesh upon us. He says to Ephesus,
you've left your first love. And he urges us and teaches us
ever to cultivate that first love for the Savior. Ever to seek that your heart
burn with love for the Redeemer. Brother Donny dealt with it so
accurately, so well, so plainly last night. how quickly our hearts
burn and how quickly they cool. How quickly our souls are revived
and how quickly our souls die again. How quickly we are brought,
as it were, to the very throne of God with rapturous joy and
how quickly our hearts are plunged in despair and darkness again.
Seek grace from God the Spirit. ever to walk with Christ, having
him so sweetly, so ravishingly revealed in you that your heart
burns again today with love for the Redeemer. Oh, how I would like to spend
this day with my heart burning in love for him. He warns the
church of Smyrna, be thou faithful unto death. Faithful unto death. God make me so. Pergamos had to deal with Balaam
and the Nicolaitans, false doctrine of every kind and moral perversity
parading in the name of false doctrine. Thy Tyra had to deal
with Jezebel, that false prophet, that ungodly seductress, the
depths of Satan, of works religion. That which you have already,
he tells us, hold fast till I come keep my works. And he tells us with Sardis,
you have a name that you live but you're dead. Be watchful. Strengthen. Remember. Be watchful. Strengthen, remember. You here at Todd's Road Grace
Church, God's given you a name. We know your name. You have a
name that you live, but you know, many of you know how dead you
are. Be watchful. Don't let the cares of this world
and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word with you.
Clare, be watchful. Always watchful over your soul.
Strengthen, strengthen in his grace. Remember what God's done
for you. Don't forget. He tells us with
Philadelphia, that sweet fellowship at Philadelphia, that church
of brotherly love, hold fast what you have so that no man
takes your crown. And then he gives us the warning
with Laodicea of lukewarmness, indifference. Oh my God, how I wish it weren't
so. Brother Greg, how quickly we
become indifferent and lukewarm with regard to the things of
God. And if it's true concerning you and me who are pastors, imagine
what it's like for folks we preach to. Luke 1. How often do you come
to your study and you open the word and your heart's just not
in it. And you spend the day and you
try to labor in the word and labor it is because your heart's
as dead as the wood on which you're working. Luke 1. Only by God's spirit continually
poured out upon us, can we avoid that horrible, horrible evil
of indifference to God and the things of God, God's salvation,
God's redemption in Christ. So I don't have any problem with
that. Well, I'm thankful for you. Now watch this verse 18. Chapter
two. Or chapter three, rather. I counsel
thee, how do you deal with all these things? I counsel thee
to buy of me gold. Without money, without price,
get gold. The gold of my grace. Pride in
the fire, that thou mayest be rich. And white raiment, perfect
righteousness. Well, Brother Don, we've got
that Isn't it amazing how those folks who have it long for it? How those folks who have it strive
for it and beg for it. Buy of me the gold of my grace. Buy of me the white raiment of
my perfect righteousness. That thou mayest be clothed and
the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. And anoint thine
eyes with the eyesalve. The eyesalve of the gospel. that
thou mayest see. I watch verse 20. Behold, I stand
at the door and knock and they're not talking about
the Lord Jesus standing at sinners hearts door knocking and begging
for permission to come in. If he ever knocks at your heart's
door, he'll knock the door down, bolt and bar before we ever know
he's around. He's talking, though, about his
church that it loves. Isn't it amazing that he always
knocks at the door of his church? Read Song of Solomon chapter
five, you'll see him knocking. And he insists that we open to
it. Bless God, he fixes it so we have to. But he fixes it and
compels us to open to it. He says, knock. I knock at the
door. If any man hear my voice and open the door. Here he is. Todd's Road Grace Church, Saturday
morning, September, what is it, 23rd, 2013. And he knocks at
the door. Knocks for an entrance. He says,
if anybody in there, open to me. If anybody in there, open
to me. He's talking to you, talking
to me. If you'll open to me. I came
in here last night. tired from a long day of work,
like most of you did. And I sat down, got ready to
listen to brother Donnie Bell, brother Paul Mahan. And as both
of them stood here to preach, I began to beg God, Lord, feed
me with your word and let me worship you. And you know what
he did, Delphus? He fed me with his word and let
me worship him. And do you know how often I've
experienced that in my life? I don't think Paul has ever been
a time. I've gone to God's house and
ask him to feed me and let him worship me that he didn't. And seldom have I go when he
knocked and I didn't open that I was fed and worship. If any
man will open to me, what does he say? What does he say? This
is not a supposition. It's not a possibility. He says,
if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in
to him and will sup with him and he with me. And I, to him
that overcometh, I will grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame and sat down with my father in his throne. Oh, now, throw open the door
to the Savior and beg of him to allow us now to enter in to
his worship. Verse one, chapter four. After this, I looked, and behold,
a door was opened in heaven. I know what that is, don't you?
The Lord Jesus says, I'm the door. A door opened. Oh, will you hear me, needy sinner? There's a door open in heaven
for sinners to come into God by Christ Jesus, the Lord. Christ
is the door. By his blood, by his righteousness,
by his merit alone, in and by Christ Jesus, sinners are free
to come to God. Come to God by faith in Christ
Jesus, and God will, by Christ Jesus, save to the uttermost
all who come to God by Him. Come enter into the door. Children
of God, Marvin, there's a door open in heaven. You can go and
worship God right now. There's a door for you and I
to enter into God's presence. enter into the throne room of
the Almighty, where priests do business with God all the time
on his throne. And the first voice that I heard
was, as it were, of a trumpet talking. A trumpet talking with
me. And I love to hear these fellows
play their musical instruments. With Alan Kibbe back there plays
the clarinet for us every now and then. Sometimes I think I
can hear it talking, but I'm fooling myself. I wouldn't understand
anything he was playing if I didn't know the words to the songs.
They can play it good. They can play it good. But I
never heard anybody play a trumpet or a clarinet or a flute or anything
else so good as to make it talk. The picture is allegorical. Heard a trumpet talking. There
was a trumpet in the Old Testament that a man only heard once in
his lifetime. He only heard it once in his
lifetime. It was called the Jubilee trumpet. But the minute he heard
it, he knew everything it meant. He knew it meant freedom, restoration,
complete forgiveness. It's the gospel trumpet. Doors opened in heaven and I
heard, I heard God speaking to me by his word. He's talking
to me. Read on, read on. Which said,
come up hither. Oh, hear me. God says to our
souls, come up, come up here, come up here to me. And I will
show thee things which must be hereafter. Not things that might
be, not things I want to be, not things I plan to be. These
are things that must be. For these are the reasons I created
the earth in the beginning. These things that must be are
the reason for the existence of all things. And then we see
a throne. Look, first two and immediately
I was in the spirit. Immediately I was in the spirit. Boy, we hear a lot of talk about
that, don't we? I was in the spirit. Well, that meant he's
waving his hands and shaking his fanny. No. That means jumping up and down
and screaming Hallelujah. No. That means he's speaking
in tongues rolling in the floor. No. Only fools act like that. Only fools who don't know God
act like that. They pretend what's not real. What says in the spirit? Enter
in by Christ the Lord in the spirit. If you believe on the
Son of God, you're in the spirit. Read the 8th chapter of Romans.
The apostle Paul writes by divine inspiration and says concerning
you who believe, you're not in the flesh but in the spirit.
We live now in another world. We're in the spirit. You mean
all believers are in the spirit? Why is that surprising to you?
Of course they are. How else do you think you believed?
I was in the spirit. And behold a throne. Now let me tell you the first
thing a man sees who enters in by Christ the door, who walks
in the spirit. The very first thing a person
sees by the revelation of that light, Brother Gable was talking
about when he's given light by God. The very first thing he
sees is God on his throne. The very first thing. People
talk about being saved and then coming to see that God's sovereign,
all they want to, until you see that God's God, you don't know
God. God's on his throne. A throne, look at this, was set. Don't you like that? Set. Permanently fixed. Established. Immovable. A throne set. Read in Genesis of Lucifer's
fall. And he said, I will ascend into
heaven. And I'm going to take over being
God. And how does God respond? How
does God respond? Oh, what am I going to do? He's
sitting on his throne. And he says, this is the purpose
that's purposed in the whole earth. Hear me, children of God. Nothing shakes his throne. Nothing
shakes him. Nothing takes him by surprise,
but everything that comes to pass comes to pass according
to the purpose of him who sits upon the throne that sits in
heaven. Read on. A throne was set in
heaven and one, just one, sat on the throne. Just one. He who
sits on the throne of universal monarchy, he alone is God, Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost. Verse three. And he that sat
was to look upon like a jasper, bright and glorious, and a sardine
stone, a red stone, a bright, glorious, blood-red stone. And there was a rainbow round
about the throne, and a sight like unto an emerald. Emerald
was the stone representing Judah on the high priest's breastplate.
Brother Luke Coffey told me this morning he's going up to Montana
to preach in a little while. Bruce Cradtree and I were up
there several years ago, late in September. It was cold, rainy. Brother Mitchell took us on a
floater, several men, and Bruce and I went on a floater down
the Missouri River. Had a great time. Up into that
time, I had never seen a full spectrum rainbow. Oh, man, it
was beautiful. Where is Bruce? You remember
that, Bruce? Driving home that evening, we drove through a rainbow. I mean, it just looked like God
made a tunnel. And we drove through that beautiful thing, got on
the other side of it, and drove through another one. And I got
in my room and started studying about this bowl right here, a
rainbow. Now, you know what it represents,
don't you? A rainbow. You remember when God made his
covenant with Noah? He brought Noah out of the ark, and he said,
Noah, I'll never do this again. I'll never destroy the earth
with water again. It'll never happen again. I'll
never flood the earth like this again. And to prove it to you,
to remind you of it, to give you a token of it, behold, I've
set my bow in the sky. I can picture Brother Noah. He'd
been out of the boat for a while, and they've already burned up
all the wood off the ark to cook with, and it's all gone. He sees a cloud in the sky. Oh, my. What am I going to do? It's fixing to rain again. And
I've already burned up the ark. And God didn't give me preparation
time to build another one. What are we going to do, boys?
It's fixing to rain. And then the rain came. And they're
running as high as they can to the highest ground they can find,
scared to death because it's raining. What are we going to
do? It's going to flood the earth again. What are we going to do?
And it quit raining. And the sun came out. Man, I'd
like to have seen that rainbow. God set the rainbow in the sky.
He said, Noah, I told you not to be afraid. I set my bow in
the sky. I promised you I wouldn't flood
the earth again. And Noah bowed down and worshiped. Now hear me, children of God. God's throne is set. And circling God's throne is
a bow. It's called the everlasting covenant
of grace. And nothing proceeds from that
throne except through that bow. Nothing comes to pass on this
earth except according to God's good purpose of grace in the
saving of his people for the glory of his name. Everything
that comes to pass, God brings to pass according to his good
purpose of grace for his people. Oh, God, teach me that. God,
teach me that. He may use the devil and all
of hell to bring it to pass, but if it comes to pass, Paul,
God brought it to pass for me and you. According to the bow,
read on. The bow round about the throne,
verse four. And round about the throne with four and 20 seats
and four and 20 elders. What's this talking about? He's
talking about the whole church of God. We've seen the door and
the throne, now the people. The people who inhabit heaven. The whole election of grace. 24 seats and 24 elders. The 144,000
of the redeemed. The whole New Jerusalem. Watch
them. They're sitting clothed in white
raiment. Sitting there at home. sitting around God's throne in
perfect peace, clothed in white raiment, and each of them has
on his head crowns of gold. Now, I keep looking at this passage
over and over again, and is it talking about the way things
are in heaven now? The way things are going to be
in heaven in eternity? The way things are in our present
circumstances as God's church on the earth now are the way
things are going to be in time to come. Yes, that's what it's
talking about. That's what it's talking about.
You see, you are come. Is that what the book says? You
are not going to come. You who believe, you who believe
God, you who come to worship God, you who trust the Lord Jesus,
you are come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the church
of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven, to Jesus,
our savior, and to the spirits of just men made perfect so that
we gather to worship our God. We gather Tomorrow morning we'll
be over in Danville. You folks will be here. Some
folks down at Rocky Mount. Some folks in California. Some
folks in England. We'll gather, all of us together,
at one throne where he sits with a rainbow circling his throne.
Our Redeemer and worship. The whole Church of God, the
whole Church of God, all of them, sitting in God's presence like we belong
there. Sitting in God's presence like
we belong there. Imagine that. Belong there. Can you get all that, Brendan?
If you believe Christ, there's not a reason in the world for
you to be afraid of God. Quit talking to God like he's
afraid of it. Brother Todd, you got that little girl there.
How embarrassing. How ashamed would you be if you're
standing up here, 25, 30 of us together and talking, and she
come groveling to you, begging, Daddy, is it all right if I speak
to you a little bit? He turned red in the face. Why
would she act like that? She's scared of him? She's scared
he's going to hit her? She's scared he might shoot her? Why is she so timid around her
daddy? Well, something must be wrong with that relationship.
It's high time, children of God, we learn something about this.
If you believe God, if you trust God's Son, you've got no reason
ever to be afraid of God. We've come to God's presence.
Come boldly to the throne of grace. Come with confidence to
the throne of grace. Come joyfully to the throne of
grace, knowing God's my father. Christ is my redeemer. The spirit
of God's my comforter. I belong here. I'm his child. I'm his child. I've been preaching
through First John at home on Tuesday evenings for the last
couple of years. I observed our folks last Tuesday
night. You read through 1 John and you,
if you're not polluted with, your mind's not polluted with
all the stuff you've heard about it and read about it, you read
through there and you say, well, John's writing these five chapters
because he wants us to know and be assured and be confident that
we're God's and God's hours. Fifteen times, In five chapters,
he said, we know. 15 times in five chapters, he
said, we know. And folks are so scared of that,
almost everything you read on 1 John, John's writing this thing
so we won't ever be too sure. That's nonsense. That's nonsense. These folks, these 24 elders,
are sitting, sitting with white raiment. Perfect righteousness. Perfect righteousness. We often
speak of the righteousness of Christ. And that's right. Our
Lord Jesus is our righteousness. He performed righteousness for
us. He gives righteousness to us. But do you know in this book
it is never referred to as the righteousness of Christ? Not
one time. It is always referred to as the
righteousness of God. The righteousness of God accomplished
by that Redeemer whom Daniel prophesied of who would bring
in everlasting righteousness. That's what Christ did by his
obedience and death. But I tell you one other way
is referred to in the book of God. One of the ways referred
to. The righteousness of the saints.
It's in my righteousness. Here I sit before God and I've
got every reason to be at home here. I have perfect righteousness,
perfect righteousness in his son and crowns of gold on their
heads. Oh boy, will there be any stars
in my crown? If you've got to ask it, there
won't be any, I promise. We live here in central Kentucky.
where they spell badness with a big B most places. And those
fellows who spell it with a big B, they think that the rest of
us might slip into heaven by the skin of our teeth, but we
won't be part of the great bride of Christ. We'll sit around and
polish the spit tube while they spit. Because they've earned
their rewards, you know. Oh, we live in mansions and we've
got, oh, we've got all the rewards we could possibly get, have crowns
on our heads. Look how good we've been. These
aren't crowns God's people earn and they know it. If you read
in the scripture about the crown of righteousness and crown of
life and so on, those five crowns that are mentioned in the scriptures
and read to whom they're given, they're given to every person
who trusts Christ. These crowns are crowns earned
by Christ and heaped upon us by Christ so that we, with Christ,
are made kings and priests unto God. And we, having these crowns
bestowed upon us, heaped upon us by God's free grace because
of our union with Christ, we cast the crowns before Him. Look
at verse 5. And out of the throne proceeded
lightnings and thunderings and voices. All things are of him
and through him and to him. And there were seven lamps of
fire burning before the throne, perfect holiness, which are the
seven spirits of God. That is the perfect being of
God. Verse six. And before the throne,
there was a sea of glass, like a crystal. And in the midst of
the throne, around about the throne were four beasts full
of eyes before and around. Four beasts. Oh, let's look at
these beasts. These beasts. What are they described?
Full of eyes. And the first beast was likened
to a lion. And the second beast like a calf.
And the third beast had the face of a man. And the fourth beast
was like a flying eagle. Ooh, I wouldn't want to see any
of those fellas. This is talking about gospel
preachers. God said, I'll give you pastors after my own heart
who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. God's servants
are compared to laboring beast. One is compared to a lion. There are four of these beasts
reaching to the four corners of the earth for God supplies
his church with his preachers as they are needed exactly according
to his purpose all over the world. And his servants are men who
had the boldness of a lion. The second beast is compared
to a calf, an ox, straw, straw. The third beast had the face
of a man. Our Lord Jesus is a man touched with the feeling of our
infirmities. And God's servants are men, faithful gospel preachers,
bold as lions, strong as calf. and tenderhearted, full of compassion,
because they know they minister to folks just like themselves.
And the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. They soar into
heaven. Verse eight. And the four beasts,
each of them had six wings. It's the same thing Isaiah saw
in Isaiah 6. Humility and readiness about
him. And they were full of eyes, given wisdom that only God can
give. And they rest not day and night. They rest not day and
night. They rest not day and night.
One thing that distinguishes God's servants from the harlings
of the religious world is that God's servants, all of them,
labor in the word and in the doctrine, saying, holy, holy,
holy, sanctified, sanctified, sanctified, hallowed, hallowed,
hallowed, Lord God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
which was and is and is to come. The omnipotent triune delivering
God the eternal God, these living creatures, these preachers of
the gospel, the angels of the churches lead God's saints then
to worship first night. And when those beasts give glory
and honor, and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth
forever and ever, the four and 20 elders fall down before him. that sat on the throne and worship
him, that liveth forever and ever. They cast their crowns
before him. Preachers, my brethren, it's
our business to lead God's people to the worship of God. And as
the pulpit leads the way, Casting all honor and glory and praise
to Christ, our God and Savior, to the triune Jehovah, the people
of God, gladly cast us down before Him. Refusing to assume any honor
to themselves, giving all praise, honor, and glory to the Lord
Jesus who chose us, redeemed us, called us, preserves us,
and shall at last bring us to glory. cast our crown before
him because he fully deserves all the praise for all that we
are. So we cry not into us, not into us, but into thy name, give
glory for thy mercy and thy truth sake. Verse 11, for thou art
worthy to receive glory and honor and power for thou has created
all things. Now watch this. Thou hast created
all things and for thy pleasure, what? For thy pleasure they were
created. That's not what it says. That
is not what it says. For thy pleasure all things are
and were created. He reminds us again everything
that is is because God did it. And it's for his pleasure. Verse
one, chapter five, chapter five, read on. And I saw in the right
hand of him that sat on the throne a book, a book written within
and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. Big, big book written. And it's written all over, just
all over, inside and out, on the edges, just like there's
just completely full. No room for anything else. A book written and it's sealed
with seven seals. What on earth is this talking
about? It's talking about the whole purpose of God. The whole book of divine predestination. In it written everything that
must and shall come to pass. Every name of every redeemed
chosen sinner. Every name inscribed in the book
of life of the Lamb. Read up. And I saw a strong angel
proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book
and to loose the seals thereof. Is there anybody fit and worthy? to take the whole book of God's
decrees, the whole book of God's purpose, the whole book of God's
wise design, the whole book of divine predestination, and pry
into it and crack it open. Anybody? Read on. Verse three,
and no man in heaven nor in earth nor under the earth was able
to open the book, neither to look their own, And I wept much
because no man was found worthy to open the book and to read
the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto
me, one of those preachers, he said to me, weep not, don't weep. Behold, the lion of the tribe
of Judah, the root of David. Watch this now, watch it. Have
you got it? Hath prevailed. The lion prevailed. He prevailed before the world
ever began and he still prevails. Tell you something about lions.
It's called the king of the jungle because the lion prevails. Satan roars as a lion, but he
never prevails. Christ is the lion. He hath prevailed
to open the book and to loose the seals. Who is this lion? Verse six. And I beheld, and
lo, in the midst of the throne, and the four beasts, and in the
midst of the elders, stood a lamb. It's all, the picture's almost
as if John says, I'm watching this throne, and I see this elder
Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judas prevailing. As he does,
ascending up in the middle of the throne, and standing there
is a lamb. A lamb as it had been slain,
having perfect power, seven horns, and perfect wisdom, seven eyes,
which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the world. And he came and he took the book. He took the book. The father
said to the son in covenant mercy, ask of me and I'll give you the
heathen for your inheritance. And before the world was, the
Lamb of God took the book for he prevailed. The Lord Jesus,
when he was about to die at Calvary, said, Father, give me the glory
that I had with you before the world was. That is, make manifest
that the Lamb has prevailed to take the book. And now you've
given me the reigns of sovereign monarchy over all the universe. He prevailed to open the book.
out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne. Turn
to chapter 10 for just a second. Revelation chapter 10. I'll wrap
this up hurriedly. Revelation 10 for just a second. And I saw another mighty angel
come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was
upon his head. This angel's come to fulfill
that covenant. This angel wearing that rainbow around the throne
of God. What an angel. And his face was as it were the
sun and his feet as pillars of fire. And he had in his hand,
what's this? A little book. A little book. A little book. What's this book?
It's the same one he took back in chapter five. but it's a little
book, but it's in big hands. It's easy for him to do his will.
He's the lion of the tribe of Judah who's prevailed. He's God
who wrote the book. It's no trouble for him to have
his way. Now watch what it says here. He's got this little book
in his hand, and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left
foot upon the earth, and he cried with a loud voice, as when a
lion roareth, And when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their
voices. The Lamb of God stands one foot on the earth and one
foot on the sea. And you wanna see what he's gonna do today?
Read the newspaper. You wanna see what he did yesterday?
Read tomorrow's paper. That's what, you mean that's
his purpose? Every moment of every hour is
but the lamb turning another leaf in the book. And with that
kind of ease, he would have us to know he rules the thoughts
and deeds and works of all men, good and evil, of all angels,
of hell, of Satan, of the demons of hell. There's nowhere He doesn't
rule absolutely with ease. Verse 8, chapter 5. And when he had taken the book,
the four beasts and the four and twenty elders, fell down
before the Lamb, having every one of them hearts with golden
vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints. Everyone
fall down and say, Thy will be done. Hallowed be Thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Everyone of them say, Lord God,
have Your way. This is right. Do what You purpose.
This is right. Oh God, don't give me what I
want. Do what You purpose. Don't fulfill my lust. Do what
You purpose. And they sang a new song, saying
thou art worthy to take the book and open the seals thereof. Christ
Jesus, it's right for you to rule. Oh, God. I wouldn't have it any other
way. I want your will. I want the reins in your hands.
For thou was slain and has redeemed us to God. Not just you died,
but you died, you redeemed us. Redeemed us personally, particularly,
and distinctly by thy blood. Out of every kindred and tongue
and people and nation. This notion of universal redemption,
the idea that Christ died somehow, somewhere, to save everybody
is utter foolishness. There's not a hint of it in the
Word of God. Not a hint of it. Not a hint of it. Everywhere
this book speaks about the redeeming work of Christ, it speaks of
it as being for a specific people, and it speaks of it being effectually
accomplished. Thou hast redeemed us to our
God out of every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue. Well, Brother
Don, why is that so important? To say otherwise is to say that
Jesus Christ is not God. To say otherwise, say he's failure.
To say otherwise, say man's his own savior. Why it's blasphemy.
Verse 10. And thou hast made us to our
God kings and priests. Kings are the fellows who have
the whole realm under their rule. Priest are folks who do business
with God in the holy place all the time. Well, boy, that's what
we're going to be. That's not what the book says.
It says thou hast made us kings. Kings to rule the world. Kings
not ruled by the world. Kings who rule the world. Kings
not to be to be subject to the world. Kings to rule the world. By that, I'm certain his intention
is that we allow not the cares and the practices and the customs
and the affairs of this world to rule our hearts. Rather, we
use all things in the world for the service of our God and our
pleasure as his kings in the world. And priests, priests who are... I'm laughing because it's just
almost too good to get hold of. And I wouldn't say if I wasn't
dead sure the book teaches it. Priests who are perfectly at
home with God. Perfectly at home with God. Todd, I used to be terrified
of it. The thought of God caused me
nightmares. I was terrified of it. Till the Spirit of God came
revealing Christ in me and caused me to cry, my father. My father,
priest. and we shall reign on the earth.
And I beheld and heard the voice of many angels round about the
throne and the beast and the elders and the number of them
was 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands. This is that 24
elders sitting on the 24 seats saying with a loud voice, worthy
is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and
wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. But God's
elect aren't the only ones. Read verses 13 and 14. When this
is all done, every creature which is in heaven and on the earth
and under the earth, I think that takes in everything, don't
you? And such as are in the sea and all that are in them, heard
I say, blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who
sits on the throne and to the lamb. Everything that he is or has
been or shall be shouted down to the glory of God, our Savior. Everything. And the four beasts
said, Amen. And the four twenty elders fell
down and worshiped him that liveth forever and ever. And they said,
Amen. And everybody gave praise to
God. Back a long time ago, I was real
sick. I'm real sick. I was 26 years
old, 25 years old. And I thought I was dying. Doctors
thought I was dying. My wife thought I was dying. And I got
a card from a friend. I hadn't seen him in years. Hadn't
heard from him. Didn't even know who he was or who it was. Didn't
sign his name. Didn't put his name on the outside
of the envelope. Just had his address and had to look it up.
And on the inside of the card, he only had one thing. It was
one of those blank cards. Open it up and blank on the inside.
And it had a scripture reference. Romans 16 20. And I was laid
in bed. Shall we brought card to me?
Open the Bible up. Romans 16 20 and man alive as
one day. If I could have shouted and jumped
out of shouted and jumped and the God of peace shall bruise
Satan under your heels shortly. So soon. Uh, listen to me. The most heavy hearted, tried,
downcast center in the darkest day of your life. Now who believes
on the son of God. Will you hear me soon?