Okay, this morning we're looking
at Revelation chapter 7. And as I usually do, I give you
the title for the message and it's found from verse 10. The
title of the message is Salvation to Our God. Now who needs salvation? Who needs salvation? Sinners. If I can find a sinner, I've
got good news. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
save sinners. And they cried, these who are
redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, they cried,
salvation to our God, who sits upon the throne, the throne of
sovereignty, majesty, glory, and holiness, and unto the Lamb. The Lamb upon the throne. the
Lord Jesus Christ. It's no wonder that our Lord
Jesus Christ is called God, our Savior. We had that in our Bible
study this morning. He sits upon the throne of God's
absolute, eternal, everlasting throne of dominion, ruling and
reigning, controlling The affair decreeing everything that comes
to pass in time was decreed by God Almighty from eternity. He is the Lamb upon the throne
who has salvation. Do you need salvation? I do.
I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner in need of a Savior.
I am a great sinner. The Lord Jesus Christ is a greater
Savior. He is what He's called, isn't
He? Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus
Christ, call His name Jesus, He shall save His people from
their sin. He is the Savior that really
saves us. He is the Redeemer who really did effectually redeem
all of His elect from all of their sin. This is the one I
need. This is the one you need. Peter declared before that council,
neither is there salvation in any other than the Lord Jesus
Christ. Salvation to our God. Salvation originates with Him,
is accomplished by Him, is executed by Him, applied by Him to His
glory and honor forever and ever. Now the subject of chapter 7
in Revelation, Revelation chapter 7. The subject of the chapter
is the salvation of God's elect. The salvation of God's elect.
It is the subject of the whole Bible. Christ saves sinners. It's the whole, it's the subject
of the whole Bible. We've read many, many times in
God's Word that salvation is of the Lord. Remember? Salvation
is of the Lord. Jonah cried that out of the belly's
fish when he was in that belly's fish for three days being swallowed
up by a fish prepared in the sin of God. And he proclaimed
unto the Lord that salvation is of the Lord. That's our testimony. The Lord
Jesus Christ is the only Savior of sinners. We read about Him
and He said Himself that the Son of Man has come to seek and
to save that which is lost. He's the Savior of sinners. We're
going to study in 1 Timothy 1 verse 15. We started a Bible study
this morning in 1 Timothy chapter 1, but on that chapter on to
verse 15, said, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation
that the Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Paul, the apostle, said, I'm
the chief one. Don't you feel that about yourself?
There's nobody as wicked as me, as wicked as myself. I think
that of myself, wretched man that I am. I think that's a testimony
of every believer. There's none as guilty as I am. There's none as vile as I am.
But we do cry that salvation is of the Lord. Remember our
Lord Jesus Christ said that He didn't come to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. He didn't come to call good folks. He came to call and to save bad
folks. The final and complete judgment
is coming to this world. We studied that in chapter 6,
verse 16. These who pray unto the rocks
and the mountains to fall on us, hide us from the face of
Him that sent us upon the throne from the wrath of the Lamb, For
the great day of His wrath has come, who shall be able to stand? Only those who stand in Christ. They stood before the throne,
before the Lamb. Chapter 7, verse 9. Who shall
be able to stand or withstand the day of God's wrath and judgment?
Only those in Christ. Only those sealed in their forehead.
by the grace of God. Final and complete judgment is
coming upon this world, but not until the Lord calls out His
elect and seals them with everlasting salvation. That's what we see
in chapter 7. The question is asked by those who had suffered
and died for the gospel in verse 10 of chapter 6. How long, O
Lord? until judgment will fall, until
vengeance of the Lord is revealed upon the ungodly. And the answer
comes back in chapter 7 verse 3, saying, Hurt not the earth,
neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants
of God in their head. in their head, in their thoughts,
in their mind, in their will, in their affection. Saved by
the grace of God. You remember I thought about
this, and I don't know why I think about these things, but there
was an old rock and roll song back in the 60s. I don't remember who had the
song, but there was a chorus to that song that went, signed,
sealed, and delivered. You remember? Some of you are
probably too young to remember that. But signed, sealed, and
delivered. That is what the gospel is all
about. He chose us. Signed, sealed,
and delivered in Christ by the grace of God. Christ signed for
us in the eternal covenant of grace. When He stood as a surety
of the eternal covenant, the guarantee of our salvation is
in His name. He signed His name. in His own
blood and redeemed us. And then He sealed us. He sealed
us with the covenant of His blood, by the atonement of His blood
for our sins. He bought us with His own blood. God bought the church with His
own blood. And then He delivers us. Remember from our study,
In 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, how he's called us to turn to
God from our idols to serve the living and true God who delivered
us from the wrath to come. He's not appointed us to condemnation. He has delivered us from the
wrath to come. He's appointed us unto salvation. All that the
Father hath given to me, they'll come to me, and those that come
to me, He said, I'll never cast them out. Now, in verse 1, 2,
and 3, the Lord preserved this world until all the elect of
God are called out of darkness into His marvelous light, sealed
with the everlasting blood of Christ, and made new creatures
in Christ Jesus. We read Matthew 24 last week,
and we read verse 14, it said, The gospel shall be preached
in all the world. Why is that so? Because He said,
Go preach the gospel. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved. The gospel shall be preached
in all the world, and then cometh the end. Now, the end is near. Preacher, are you predicting
when the end will come? No. I'm looking for Him who is
coming. I'm not looking for a date or
time or place. I'm looking for the Lord who
is coming back. The times and seasons no man knows, nor do
we need to know. We're looking for Him who is
coming. Verse 1, After these things I saw four angels standing
on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the
earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor the sea,
nor any tree. And I saw another angel ascending
from the east, having sealed the living God, and he cried
with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given
to hurt the earth, saying, verse 3, Hurt not the earth, nor the
sea, nor the trees, that we seal the servants of our God in their
head." In their forehead. In their forehead. The instrument of judgment, these
four winds, already prepared for destruction, waiting to unleash
God's power upon the earth, the four corners of the earth, east,
west, north, south, to destroy all opposition, to destroy all
the enemies of God, to avenge the elect of God. They are prepared
to hurt the earth at the command of God, prepared to carry out
the just and holy judgment of God against all enemies, against
all sin. Now, you can turn with me if
you want to. You don't have to. But you remember
when we studied through 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 7, 2 Thessalonians
chapter 1 verse 7, we read about this. And to you who are troubled
rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven
with his mighty angels. In flaming fire, taking vengeance
on them that know not God, that obey not the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence
of the Lord, from the glory of His power, when He shall come
to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them
that believe, because our testimony was believed in that day. Our testimony among you was believed
in that day. The Lord is coming back. The
instruments of destruction have already been prepared. These
mighty angels at the command of God will destroy all things. Now verse 2 and verse 3, John
said, I saw another angel. Now the four angels holding those
four destructive winds ready to destroy at the command of
God. And then suddenly John sees another
angel ascending from the east having the seal of the living
God, having the salvation of God, and he cried with a loud
voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the
earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea,
nor the tree, till we have sealed the servants of God in their
forehead. Suddenly John sees another angel
here. Who is this angel? This is not
a created angel, this is the angel, this angel is the servant
of God himself, the son of God himself, who is not a created
being, not a created angel, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who
is God our Savior. He commands and controls all
things, for he is the mediator of the covenant. One God, one
mediator between God and man, God and men rather, that is the
God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew 3.1, the Lord Jesus
Christ is called the messenger of the covenant. That's what
an angel is, a messenger. Behold My servant, My elect,
in whom I delight." In Malachi chapter 4 verse 2, the last book
of the Old Testament, the last chapter, the last promise, there's
an article on the back of the bulletin, don't read it now,
but from Malachi 2, Malachi 4 verse 2, Christ is called the Son of
Righteousness with healing in His wings. This is the angel
that came from the East. to accomplish all God's purpose.
Now watch this. Our Lord Jesus Christ had the
seal of the living God. Who but the Lord Jesus Christ
could have this seal of salvation to save and justify sinners but
the Lord Jesus Christ, the Angel of the Covenant, the Messenger
of the Covenant, the Sacrifice of the Covenant, the Charity
of the Covenant, the God of the Covenant. God had given Him Power
over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many
as the Father hath given to him. Who but the Lord Jesus Christ
can speak with all power as to control and dominate all the
angels?" He said, all power is given to me in heaven and earth.
No mere angel, no mere created angel has power like that. Only
the Lord Jesus Christ, our surety, savior, and mediator. Final judgment
will not come. Until all the elect of God have
been sealed, all the servants of God, all believers of God
sealed in their forehead, this is telling us that salvation
is of the Lord. This sealing is the precious
work of the whole triune God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The
seal of the covenant of grace is a circumcision in the heart
and regeneration. That's who the true Israel of
God, that's who they really are. Paul describes them in Philippians
chapter 3 as the true Israel of God, which worship God in
the spirit, that rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence
in the flesh. Listen to this scripture here
in Romans 2. Let me just read it to you. For
he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is circumcision
that which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which
is one inwardly, and that circumcision is of that of the heart, in the
spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of
God. So the true Israel of God are
those who have been operated on by the Spirit of God, circumcised
in the heart, made new creatures in the Lord Jesus Christ." That's
what this sealing is all about. Made new creatures in Christ. The believer, the sinner, saved
by grace, is sealed by God Almighty. The seal here is a mark of protection. A seal protects from tampering. Even the products you get, you
buy at the grocery store, what do you, before you consume them,
what do you do? You check and make sure they're
sealed, that nobody's tampered with it. The servants of God
have been sealed by God, sealed from being tampered with. The
believer in Christ is sealed by God the Father in that eternal
covenant of grace, protected by the wise and good sovereign
providence of God. We're kept by the power of God.
He sealed us. He protected us. And secondly,
a seal is a mark of ownership. The Lord Jesus Christ bought
us with His own blood. He said, you're no more your
own, you're bought with a price. God bought us with His own blood. We're redeemed with the precious
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why these are they which
came out of great tribulation, have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood, in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
His blood puts away all our sin. Thirdly, a seal is a mark of
certification. The believer is marked with the
seal of God the Holy Spirit, and is indwelt with God the Holy
Spirit, where his spirit bears witness with our spirit that
we are the sons of God. Now let me just read this to
you because this is familiar to you who study the Word of
God. You remember in the book of Ephesians
chapter 1, we see there that God the Father is choosing us
in that eternal election of grace to the praise of the glory of
His grace. And then we read further on in verse 7 of Ephesians chapter
1. It says, "...in whom we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches of His grace, again
to the praise of the glory of His grace." And then it says
in Ephesians chapter 1, talking about the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. that we should be to the praise
of His glory, in whom you also trusted after you heard the word
of truth, verse 13, Ephesians 1, the gospel of your salvation,
in whom also after that you believed you were sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, and
to the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of
His glory. It all gets back to His glory.
God forbid, we had it on the radio this morning, God forbid
we should glory, say, in the cross, of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sealed with the Holy Spirit of
promise to the praise of His glory. To the praise of His glory. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of
God whereby you're sealed until the day of redemption. Ephesians
chapter 4 verse 30. So, what is the significance
of being sealed? It says there in our text, Revelation
chapter 7, sealed in their forehead. Why does it say we're not sealed
in our stomach, or in our hands, or in our feet, or any other
part of the anatomy of the body, but in our head, in our forehead? Well, what's the significance
of being sealed in the forehead? Well, when you think about the
forehead, you think about what? We think about the mind, the
heart, the will, the affection, That's all in our forehead, isn't
it? What we think, our will, our mind, our thoughts, our affection,
our feelings, that all comes from right up here, doesn't it?
That's where he does the work. And we often say in the heart,
But it's really, when we talk about the heart, it's talking
about when we believe the gospel with all of our heart, we're
talking about all of our mind, our will, our affection, our
feelings, everything about faith affects the whole person. In
our forehead, those who are sealed have the knowledge of God. the
gospel been revealed to them in their mind. You know, the
Apostle Paul said, I know whom I have believed and persuaded
he's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against
that day. Those who have been sealed have
always been loved and known of God. We know him, he's known
us, how long has he known his church? The foundation of God
standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are
His. How long has He loved us? How
long has He known us? When did He choose us? From everlasting
to everlasting. He loved us with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness He draws us unto Himself. We
gladly wear his name in our foreheads, in our heart, in our affections,
in our mind. Now, let's turn to a couple of
scriptures right here close to the neighborhood. Find Revelation
14, verse 1. Revelation 14, we're going to
see this again. And I looked, and lo, a lamb
stood on Mount Zion, and with him the hundred and forty-four
thousand, having his father's name written in their head. His name's written in our head,
in our minds, in our thoughts, in our will, our affection. And
then turn to another scripture, over here in the last chapter,
Revelation 22, look at verse 4, verse 3 and 4, And there shall
be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall
be in it, and His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see
His face, and His name shall be in their forehead. His name's
written. We wear His name. We're called
the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. And here's sweet comfort
for you who are resting in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you're
a believer, sealed by God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
no judgment, no wrath, will come upon you. None at all. Because the Lord Jesus Christ,
our great Savior and substitute, died in our room, in our place,
in our stead, took our sin to Himself, and made complete satisfaction
for them. He appeared once in the end of
the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Therefore,
we read in the book of Romans, there is therefore now no judgment. No condemnation to those who
are in the Lord Jesus Christ. No judgment, no condemnation.
And again in Romans chapter 8 verse 39, he said there's no separation. Nothing can separate us from
the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that
verse in the Song of Solomon that says, set me as a seal upon
thy heart. Seal me, Lord, with Thy salvation
and with Thy grace. Now, look at verse 4 and we'll look at verse 9 and
10. Verse 4 and verse 9 and 10. And I heard the number of them
which were sealed, And they were sealed, a hundred,
forty, and four thousand of all the tribes of Israel, all the
elect of God. Verse 9, And after this I beheld,
and lo, 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, palms of victory, palms of victory,
the Lord's our victory in their hands, And they cried with a
loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sits upon the
throne." Now this 144 here are the same number of this great
multitude saved and sealed by God the Holy Spirit. Now, I know
there's been much debate, much speculation about the 144, 144,000,
but let me say this, they represent the whole body of God's elect. You mean just 144,000 Jews are
going to be saved? All of Israel shall be saved.
The Lord has called our deliverer who shall save all Israel. You
see, that typical nation was a type and picture of all the
spiritual Israel of God, all the elect of God. They represent
the whole body of God's elect, redeemed by His precious blood,
the blood of Christ, called out of darkness in His marvelous
light, delivered out of the kingdom of darkness, translated into
God's eternal kingdom. They all sing one song. These
servants of God, sealed, they all have one song. Salvation
to our God. Salvation to our God. He saved
us by His grace. He saved us by grace alone. None can perish for whom the
Lord Jesus Christ died. We often ask that question. How
many people are in hell for whom the Lord Jesus Christ died? None. He saved them with an everlasting
salvation. He sealed them with His blood. They're saved eternally in the
Lord Jesus Christ. This number is a symbolic number
that represents the whole spiritual Israel of God, chosen in Christ
before the foundation of the world, out of every nation, kindred,
tongue, and people, all the elect of God. We've seen this before,
haven't we? Turn back to chapter 5. Those
saved by the grace of God, they all sing one song, worthy is
the land that was slain. Receive all honor, glory, blessing,
and power. Look at Revelation 5 verse 9,
They sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
to open the seals thereof, for Thou was slain, and hast redeemed
us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred. tongue, people,
and nation, and made us kings and priests unto our God, and
we shall reign with Him forever. Turn back to chapter 1. We saw
this before in chapter 1. Those sealed and saved, justified
by the grace of God, saved and washed and made clean in the
blood of the Lamb, they all sing this. Revelation 1 verse 5, From
Jesus Christ, who is a faithful witness, the first begotten of
the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, unto him
that loved us, and washed us from our sin in his own blood,
and made us kings and priests unto our God, and His Father
to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. And everybody
said, everybody redeemed by the blood of Christ, saved by the
grace of God, what do they say? Amen. Amen. Salvation is of the Lord. This great multitude, this great
multitude, we read about in Galatians chapter 3, if you be Christ,
enter in Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise of God.
This great multitude stood before the throne, verse 9, the throne of the Lamb. And they
stood, blessed of God, this great multitude, redeemed by the blood
of Christ, they stood before the throne, before the Lamb clothed. Now, they don't stand there naked.
I don't want to stand before God dressed in my filthy rags
of my self-righteousness. I don't want to stand before
the holy throne of God naked. I want to be clothed with the
clothing that He provides, with the garments of salvation, with
the robe of righteousness that He provides for us. Remember
when Adam and Eve sinned? God said, today you eat, you'll
die. Remember they tried to get fig leaves? Remember they were
naked and they tried to sew fig leaves together to hide themselves
from God? Well that didn't work, did it?
But before God put them out of the garden, do you remember what
he did? He killed an animal, slew an animal, sacrificed an
animal, and he took that skin and provided for them a clothing,
a salvation. That's a picture of Christ crucified
and the righteousness we enjoy in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ
actually presents us They stood before the throne dressed. They weren't ashamed. They weren't
naked. Adam and Eve were ashamed. They
were naked. They hid themselves. We stand before the throne of
God dressed in His beauty, dressed in His righteousness, robed with
what He's provided for us. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord imputed righteousness without works. We don't have to stand
before God naked. He provided for us a perfect
clothing, Christ Himself. is our righteousness. Believers stand in the presence
of God, accepted in the Beloved. The Lord Jesus Christ actually
presents us before God's throne, holy, unblameable, unreprovable
in His sight. Think about it. He's able to
keep us from falling and presents us. He presents us faultless,
holy, unblameable, unreprovable. Clothed with white robes, that's
His righteousness. Notice down in verse 11, these
are they which came out of great tribulation and washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Now how can we be washed in His
blood and be made white? because he put away all our sin."
God said, their sin and their iniquity will I remember no more. They're clothed with white robes,
symbolic of his righteousness that's freely imputed to us by
the means of the sacrifice and atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they have these palms of
victory in their hand. They've won the victory. They
won the victory. Who won the victory for us? You
remember in chapter 6 verse 2, And I saw, and behold, a white
horse, and he that sat on him had a bow and a crown, was given
to him, and he went forth conquering to conquer, thanks being to God
who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We're winners in Him. We have the victory over sin,
death, hell, and the grave. In Christ, We have the victory. And we cry
this, verse 10. And we cry with a loud voice,
that is, we're not ashamed. We cry for all to hear, saying,
salvation to our God. Those redeemed by the blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ, they know who redeemed them. They know
how God saved them. Salvation to our God that sits
upon the throne. Salvation to the Lamb worthy
of the Lamb that was slain to receive all honor, glory, blessing,
and power both now and forever. Salvation to our God. We often
say from election to glorification, from Alpha to Omega, from the
beginning to the end, Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is
of the Lord in His planning. He is the Lamb slain before the
foundation of the world. Salvation is of the Lord in His
purchase. He bought us with His own blood. Salvation is of the
Lord in its performance. He performed it for us. He finished
the work God gave Him to do. Salvation is of the Lord in His
perseverance. were kept by the power of God.
Salvations of the Lord in perfection, predestinated to be conformed
to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. What's predestination
all about? It's God determining and decreeing
to have a people just like the Lord Jesus Christ. That's who
he's talking about here. That great multitude. 144,000,
that great multitude, all the elect of God, redeemed, redeemed
by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.