Okay, let's turn in our Bible
now to Revelation 14. Revelation 14, look at the first
five verses. Now I'm taking the title for
the message from the words found in verse 1, Revelation 14 verse
1, where John says that he beholds this vision of the glorified
Lord Jesus Christ in His sacrificial character. Twenty-six times in
this book is the revelation of Jesus Christ. He's described
as the Lamb. The Lamb of God. This is God's
sacrificial Lamb that John the Baptist identified and said,
Behold the Lamb of God. It takes away our sin. This is
the same Lamb that God provided in Abraham and Isaac's day. God
will provide Himself a Lamb for sacrifice. And notice as John
beholds the Lamb, the Lamb is standing. Standing on Mount Zion. And with Him, 144,000, the elect
of God, having His Father's name written in their head, written
on their forehead, or in their forehead, it says. So the title
of the message is, The Lamb Stands Victorious. The Lamb stands on
Mount Zion. Now, when all the dust is settled,
and all the enemies of the Lord's church are finally and fully
and eternally defeated, the Lord Jesus Christ is the last man
standing. He stands as the God-man mediator. The Lord Jesus Christ stands
in complete and total victory, and every believer stands with
Him, in Him, by Him. Now and forever. That's why the
Apostle Paul said, thanks be to God who has given us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. He goes forth conquering and
to conquer all of his enemies. All of his enemies. Our Lord
is the one who overcomes. We don't overcome. He overcomes
for us. Our Lord said, these words have
I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In this
world, you're going to have trouble. You're going to have tribulation.
You're going to have sorrow. You're going to have heartache. Ah,
but be of good cheer, I've overcome. I've conquered, that's the word.
I've conquered all things. And He does this for us. John
turned from the vision that he had of the terrible woes of these
two monsters in chapter 13, the beast out of sea and the beast
out of the earth, To this heavenly vision above of the Lord Jesus
Christ enthroned with all the elect of God with Him, we see
again that the Lamb upon the throne is ruling and reigning
forever, forever victorious. Hold your place there in your
bookmark and turn a couple pages to chapter 17, Revelation 17.
Verse 14, These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them, for He is Lord of lords, King of kings. And
they that are with Him, the 144,000, they that are with Him are called,
chosen, and faithful. That's the description of every
believer. Called, chosen, and they're faithful. He makes us
faithful by His grace. Although Satan and his ministers
try to deceive the elect and destroy them, not one of God's
elect can perish. All will be with the Lord forever.
That's what I read over there. Are you wondering why I read
John chapter 6? That's the reason I read John chapter 6. He said,
I'll lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day.
Remember? All that the Father giveth me will come to me, and
those that come to me I'll never, no never, no never cast them
out. No one will perish for whom the
Lord Jesus Christ stood in that eternal covenant as a surety
and guarantee of our salvation. We stood in Him, chosen in Him,
and when everything is done, settled and over, we stand in
Him eternally, complete in Christ. Satan and all of his devices
and all of his forces will be finally and fully and eternally
destroyed. Now that's the message of the
Revelation and really the message of the whole book of the Bible.
Christ wins. He wins. He's victorious. He's the captain of our salvation.
Never loses. Always a winner. And we're winners
in Him. Now, the first thing we see here
in verse 1, John, behold this Lamb, this Lamb of God. I look
and behold a Lamb. It reminds me of what is said
in Isaiah 42 verse 1. Behold, God said, my elect, my
servant, in whom I uphold. Behold the Lamb, the Lord Jesus
Christ. This is the same Lamb that John
the Baptist identified. And John, here the apostle, heard
John the Baptist say when the Lord Jesus Christ started his
earthly ministry, He said, John said, there He is. That land
that was prophesied, typified, there He is. Here's the Lamb
of God that takes away our sin. John heard John the Baptist,
the last prophet, Old Testament prophet, and the forerunner of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He heard him identify the Lord
Jesus as the Lamb. Now, he beholds this same Lamb,
the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Lamb of God. The Lamb of God. He is the only
sacrifice for sin. He's the only sacrifice for sin. God has designated the Lord Jesus
Christ as the sacrifice for our sin. You can't come to God and
you can't approach God apart from a designated, appointed
sacrifice. Christ is that sacrifice. We're
not looking for another. We have one. And who provided
it? I didn't provide it. Christ himself
provides himself as a sacrifice for himself that puts away our
sin. Christ is the Lion of the tribe
of Judah to his enemies, the enemies of the gospel, but he's
a redeeming lamb to save his people from their sin. And that's
what the angel from heaven said, remember? Call his name Jesus,
he shall save his people from their sin. 26 times in this book
of Revelation, we see the Lord Jesus Christ in His sacrificial
character as the Lamb of God. The Lamb of God. There's no approaching
God apart from the Lamb. There's no salvation apart from
the Lord Jesus Christ. There's just one way of salvation.
He said, I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life. No man comes
to the Father but by and through me. That's why Paul said, I'm
determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. He is the way, this Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, it's just not that some
Jewish teacher from Nazareth died. This one who died is God
manifest in the flesh. That's what gives the weight
and power and vitality and eternal life to his shedding of his blood. His atonement is who he is. It's
who he is that determines the extent of the atonement being
absolutely successful. John sees the Lord Jesus Christ
standing upon Mount Zion. This Mount Zion here is the heavenly
city that Abraham was seeking, whose builder and maker is God.
Notice the Lord Jesus Christ here. And often we see Him in
Scripture, when He by Himself purged our sin, He sat down on
the right hand of God. We've seen that many times, haven't
we? Here He's standing. He's standing. Not sitting. Standing
in complete Victory over all his enemies. You remember Psalm
110? Sit thou, the Lord my God, said
to my Lord, sit thou in my right hand, till I make thine enemies
thy footstool, and here he stands in victory. He stands in victory,
he stands in victory having conquered all of his enemies, having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing
over them himself, with himself, by himself, for his own glory. Standing to receive all the honor
and glory. Standing to receive all recognition
due Him. Standing to be recognized as
the Captain of our salvation. Now let me show you an interesting
scripture. Turn over here to the book of Acts. Right past
John is the book of Acts chapter 8. You remember there was a deacon
in the early church. His name was Stephen. And he
preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And them Jews got
very, very angry at him in Acts chapter 8. Excuse me, Acts chapter 7. Acts
chapter 7. Acts chapter 7, verse 54. When they heard these things,
they were cut to the heart, when they heard Stephen preach the
gospel, and they gnashed upon him with their teeth. But he,
being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven,
and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand
of God. He's standing to receive this
dear brother And he said, Behold, I see heavens opened, and the
Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. And they cried with
a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and they ran upon Him with
one accord, and they cast Him out of the city, stoned Him,
and the witnesses laid down their clothes at the young man's feet,
named Saul." This is Saul of Tarsus. This is the Apostle Paul.
He stood there and held the coats of those who dashed out the brains
of Stephen. And the Lord Jesus Christ, he
kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sinner
charred. And when he said this, he fell
asleep. But Stephen, as he gets this vision, as he's being killed,
he sees the same thing John sees. The Lamb standing upon Mount
Zion to receive him to himself. Blessed are those who die in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice this amazing statement
next in verse 1. With Him, all those given to
Him in that eternal covenant of grace. Remember in Hebrews
chapter 2 when it gives a description of all those for whom Christ
tasted death for, and He said, the Lord said, Behold, I and
the children that you've given to Me, all those chosen by eternal
love and sovereign grace, all those redeemed by His blood,
the called, the chosen, the faithful, All the 144,000 stand with the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, when you think about that
number, As I told you back when we looked at this first in chapter
7, 144,000 were sealed in their forehead. That's a symbolic number
signifying that all the elect of God will be redeemed with
His blood and He will lose not one of them. Raise everyone up
at the last day. They're chosen by His eternal
love, redeemed by His precious blood. redeemed with the precious
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. I notice, thirdly, all these
saints of God, the elect of God, sinners saved by the grace of
God, they all have their Father's name written, written in their forehead, in their forefront
of their thoughts, their heart, their will, their mind, their
affection. The children of the beast have
the mark of the beast." Remember we talked about that last week.
They received the mark in their hand and His name in their forehead. Here the saints of God are sealed
by the determinate counsel and will of God. The saints of God
have their Father's name put upon them. We are His children. We are members of His household.
The foundation of God standeth sure, having this sealed, the
Lord knoweth them that are His. God's people, His elect, are
sealed with an everlasting salvation. He knows His sheep, and they
follow Him. They follow Him, and He gives
them a new name. Remember, we saw that. Turn back
to Revelation 2, verse 17. He gives them a new name. The
Father's name. In chapter 2, verse 17 of Revelation,
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches. To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone,
and in that stone a new name written, which no man knoweth,
saving he that received it. Again, turn to chapter 3, verse
12, Revelation 3, verse 12, "...him
that overcometh..." Now remember how we overcome. "...only by
the blood of the Lamb will I make a pillar in the temple of my
God, and he shall go out no more. I will write upon him the name
of my God, the name of the city of my God, New Jerusalem, which
cometh down..." Out of heaven, salvations of the Lord from my
God, and I will write upon Him a new name." We have the Father's
name written in our heart, in our mind, in our thoughts. sealed of God. Had it not been
for His electing love, His electing grace, saving grace, redeeming
grace, we would have been deceived and devoured by Satan and his
beastly monsters, his beastly ministers. You remember in chapter
13, Verse 8, "...all that dwell upon the earth shall worship
Him, that is, the beast, the false prophet, false Christianity,
whose names are not written in the book of life." If our name
had not been written in the book of life, we would go after that
beastly, man-centered, freewill, works religion. But our name
has been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world, before Adam ever sinned, before
Adam was even created. I am the Lord Jesus Christ who
has assured the sacrifice and Savior of us, His people. Had it not been for His electing
love and saving grace, we'd have no hope. We've been adopted into
His family by His love, haven't we? The whole what manner of
love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called
sons of God. By His love, we're part of His
household. We're no more strangers and foreigners
going about. We have been made by His grace.
Therefore, He says, you're no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of
God and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. On Christ's solid
rock I stand, all the ground, all the ground is sinking, sinking,
sinking sand. Now, Revelation 14, verse 2,
And I heard a voice from heaven, I heard a voice from heaven,
as a voice of many waters, as a voice of great power, great
thunder, and I heard the voice of harpers. They were harping
just one song, worthy as a lamb that was slain, to receive all
honor, glory, and blessings. Voices of harpers harping, singing
unto the Lord. And they sung, as it were, a
new song, a new song before the throne, the throne of God's majesty,
glory, and power. And before the four beasts, the
ministers of the gospel, And the 24 elders, the four living
creatures, and the 24 elders again, a number symbolic of God's
church. And no man could learn that song
but the 144,000, which were redeemed from the
earth. They were redeemed, bought, bought,
chosen and bought. We see the total occupation of
the redeemed in glory. Those who are standing with the
Lamb, worshiping the Lamb, singing about the Lamb, His redeeming
blood. They were redeemed from the earth,
redeemed from among men. Now, He didn't redeem all men. We are redeemed from among men.
It's a new song learned here on this earth by the experience
of His grace unto Him who loved us and washed us from our sin
in His own blood. To Him be all the honor and glory
both now and forever. It's a new song inspired by gratitude
and love to the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn back to Revelation chapter
7. Revelation chapter 7 verse 9 says, And after this, I beheld
a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations,
kindred people. Tongues stood before the throne,
before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms of victory
in their hand, and they cried with a loud voice, saying to
our God, salvation to our God, which sits upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round
about the throne, And about the elders and the four beasts, and
they fell on their, fell before the throne on their faces, and
they worshiped God, saying, Amen, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might be unto our God. Forever and ever. That's this song of redemption. It's a new song learned by His
grace, the experience of grace. It's a new song inspired by gratitude
and love. It's a new song that all the
redeemed sang. Turn back to Revelation 5. Let's
see what it's about. Revelation 5 verse 9. Verse 8 says, 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 harps, there's
those harps again, and golden vials of odors, which are the
prayers of the saints, and they sung a new song, saying, Thou
art worthy to take the book, to open the seals thereof, for
Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of
every kindred, tongue, people and nation, and has made us under
our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth."
And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels ran about
the throne, and the beasts and the elders,
and a number of them were ten thousand times, ten thousand
and saying, thousands, saying with a loud voice, worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength,
honor, Glory and blessing, this is the song that he teaches us.
No man can come to me except my Father which sent me, draw
him. And all those who have heard and learned of the Father, they
come to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a song, a new song, it's
an everlasting, eternal song of redemption described as worship. Worship. the voice of many waters,
sung by many redeemed from all places of the earth, who have
drunk of the living water of life." Who is that? Who is that? You remember that Lord said to
that woman at the well, you drink of that water, and you're going
to thirst again, you drink of that water that I give you will
be a well of water springing up into everlasting life. And
I like what you said, Lord give me that water. That's what I
say, don't you? Give me that water. The voice
of many waters sung by all the redeemed, a voice of great thunder,
great thunder, the song of the redemption, The song of the Redeemer
has a powerful message. It comes with great authority.
I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of
God unto salvation. And then the voices of harpers
with harps. A lovely, sweet, tender music
of worship making melody in our hearts before the Lord. Again,
these are symbolic numbers that represent things or symbolic
things. These are all gathered before
the throne. You see that? Before the throne. They sung,
as it were, a new song before the throne. This is the throne
of God. They're gathered before the throne. They have a great
privilege to serve the Lord in perfect worship before God Almighty. The four beasts, the four living
creatures, and all the ministers of the gospel, and all the elect
of God, they sing this song in adoration and worship of the
Lord. They know they are there only
because Christ loved them, chose them, and redeemed them. by His
grace." Now notice the description the Lord gives of His people,
talking about His church, those that He bought with His blood.
And this is describing you, you who believe the gospel. These
are they, verse 4 and 5, these are they which are not defiled
with women. Now, this is not talking about
natural things. This is talking about spiritual
things. There's two unnamed women that's
revealed in the book of Revelation. Remember, one of them is the
church. The woman represents the church. What was that over
here in chapter 12? There appeared a great wonder
in heaven. That's that first unnamed woman.
The second unnamed woman we're going to see in chapter 17 is
the great harlot, the whore, Babylon. false religion that
does not glorify God. These are they which are not
defiled with idolatry. Now, he found us there, but he
called us out of idolatry. And we are not defiled with idolatry,
with freewill works religion. We are redeemed by the blood
of Christ. Idolatry is spiritual fornication
before God with will, worship, and superstition. The elect of
God have been kept, preserved from it. They are in God's sight
as chaste virgins. Now, notice the reference there
in chapter 14 on verse 4. You see the reference where it
says, they are virgins. You have the letter A. You see
that? And what is the reference there?
2 Corinthians 11, 2. So let's turn there. 2 Corinthians
11, 2. These reference Bibles are handy. They point us in the right direction. Who are these virgins? Well,
let's see if we can read about it. 2 Corinthians 11, verse 2. Paul said, I'm jealous over you
with a godly jealousy, for I have espoused you to one husband.
Now remember in Isaiah 54 who that husband is? It's the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is our husband. I've espoused
you to one husband that I might present you as a chaste virgin
in Christ. We are as a chaste virgin in
the Lord Jesus Christ. But I fear, lest by any means,
that the serpent beguile thee to his sanity, so your mind should
be corrupted from the simplicity. That word simplicity is oneness,
singleness of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. But he considers
us in Christ as pure, holy, Virgins, not defiled with idolatry. Not
defiled. Christ presents us in the purity
of the gospel. We stand in Him with all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily, and in Christ we stand complete. The second thing He says of them,
they're not defiled with idolatry, well-worship and superstition.
They are chaste virgins in Christ. These are they which secondly,
what do they do? They follow. They don't follow
men. They don't follow tradition.
They don't follow mom and dad. Not in salvation. The sheep of
Christ follow the Lord Jesus Christ. He's called the Great
Shepherd. All we like sheep have gone astray, remember? We've
turned everyone to our own way, and the Lord laid on Him the
iniquity of us all. He said, My sheep hear My voice,
I know them and they do. Follow me, and I give unto them
eternal life, and they shall never perish. No man can pluck
them out of my hand. My Father which gave me is greater
than all, and no man can pluck them out of my Father's hand.
We're in Christ, in God, secure and complete. We follow the Lamb wherever He
goes, that's where we go. You see, we're one with Him.
We're united with Him, and in Him, wherever He goes, we go.
What's through the head is through the body. Where the head is,
that's where the body is. Now, wherever this head goes
here, naturally, wherever this head goes, you know what follows?
The body. Christ is our head. We are His
body. What's true of Him, true of us,
where He goes, we go. Where He is, we are right now.
You know where we are right now? We just read it right here. We
stand with Him. But God, who is rich in mercy
for His great love wherewith He loved us, Ephesians 2, has
quickened us together with Christ and raised us up together to
make us sit together in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus Christ right
now. Seated in the heavenlies in Christ
Jesus. Wherever so ever the Lamb goes,
that's where we go, He's a forerunner, remember He's called the forerunner
in Hebrews 6, who has entered into the holy place, sat down,
and we sat down in Him. He's a forerunner. He's a forerunner
for us. We follow the Lamb whether so
ever He goes. I like what Peter said when many
of those so-called disciples turned and walked away from the
Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord said to the apostles,
well, if you want to leave, right now is the time to leave. If
you want to leave, just get with that crowd and leave. Remember what
Peter said? Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou
art the Word, the eternal life. We believe and we're sure. Thou
art the Christ. You see, he was a lamb following
the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep. And then
it says here, they are redeemed. They are redeemed. They're bought.
They're bought from among men. He chose us out from among men. He set His love on us and He
redeemed us. He bought us with His own blood. Sinners redeemed by the precious
blood of Christ in whom we have redemption through His blood.
We have the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of His
grace. He obtained for us eternal redemption. He bought us. He
bought us. Now I use this homely illustration.
When you ladies make out your grocery list, And my wife does
it meticulously, and she checks off everything she buys. Everything
she buys. When she gets to the checkout
stand, and we go where everybody else goes, usually to Walmart,
and they ring it up, and they have a price. And she pulls out
that debit card, and they ring it up, paid in full. What's going to happen to those
groceries? She chose them. She bought them. They bagged
them. They're in her buggy. You think
she's going to go home without those groceries? She's not going
to go home without those groceries. Now, she may leave her purse
there, but those groceries are hers.
She bought them. She's going to take them home,
and we're going to eat them. Now, see the illustration? The Lord
Jesus Christ made his list. He chose His people in that eternal
covenant of grace. He bought us. Everyone for whom
He died and bought, He's going to take home. He's going to take
them home. He bought us. He's going to enjoy us forever.
And we're going to enjoy Him forever and ever and ever. We
belong to the Lord. We are redeemed with His precious
blood. We're redeemed from among men.
Now that tells us right there something of the magnitude and
the scope of the atonement. He didn't redeem all men everywhere
without exception. That's not so. He redeemed His
church, His chosen, His elect, His bride. He said, I lay down
my life for Thee. For the transgression of my people
was he stricken. These are redeemed from among
men, being the firstfruits unto God." The firstfruits unto God. Now that goes back to that harvest
under the law. When Israel of old began the
harvest feast, the firstfruits of that crop went to the house
of the Lord to provide for the priests, the tribe of Levi. We
are His firstfruits. We belong to the Lord. Listen
to Scripture. James 1.18. Of His own will begat
He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits
of His creation. He created us, He chose us, we
are His first fruits. And He is going to take us home
because He purchased us with His blood. These were bought
from among men, being His fruit. His fruit. We belong to the Lord. He bought us with His own blood. Now, the last thing, and I'll
send you home, the last thing is this. And in their mouth was
no guile, no guile, and that word there is hypocrisy, no deceit,
No hypocrisy in their mouth, because their heart has been
made new in Christ Jesus. For they are without... Now,
I want you to wrap yourself around this. They are without fault. That means they have no sin.
That means they have no guilt. They are without fault, not before
the church, not before the neighborhood, not before the government. They
are without fault before the throne of God. That's all that
matters. That's all that matters. Now,
they may arrest me and put me in jail and accuse me of all
kind of malicious things, and they might pronounce a judgment,
guilt, before the laws of the state of Kentucky. But before
God, I have no fault, because I have no sin. When Paul was
in Rome in prison for preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, Rome said, Guilty! Guilty! He must die! He must
die! before the throne of God without
blame, without fault, holy, spotless, unblemished in God's sight. You can find this easily in the
book of Jude. Turn to Revelation chapter 1
and then look right up the page. Without fault. Holy, unblameable,
unreprovable in God's sight. God said their sin and their
iniquity will I remember no more. You see it in the book of Jude.
Just one chapter. See verse 24? Right up there
on the page above Revelation chapter 1. Verse 24 says, Now
to him that is able to keep you from falling, He's able. Able to save to the uttermost.
Able to keep us. He's able to keep you from falling. And He's able to present you. Present you faultless before
the presence of His glory. And He presents us with exceeding
joy. He's not ashamed to call us brethren.
Think of it. To present you, father, before
his presence, the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.
To the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty and dominion
and power both now and forever. What do you say to that? Hey,
I say amen. Without fault. There's no guile
in their mouth. They've been given faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. They're no longer going about
to establish a righteousness of their own, but have submitted
themselves to the righteousness of God in Christ. And they're
without fault before the throne because they stand in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Do you get that? That's where
we started. The lamb stood on Mount Zion
with him, the 144,000 having his father's name written in
their forehead.