Before the Throne of God

Q: What does the Bible say about salvation?

Salvation is solely by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that salvation is an act of God, granted to those whom He has chosen before the foundation of the world. In Revelation 7:10, the multitude praises God, declaring, 'Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.' This indicates that salvation is not based on human merit, but is entirely of the Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 reinforces this understanding, stating that it is by grace we are saved through faith, and this is not of ourselves; it is the gift of God.

Q: How do we know Christ's atonement is sufficient?

Christ's atonement is sufficient because it fully addressed the penalty for our sins. The sufficiency of Christ's atonement is emphasized throughout Scripture, particularly in Revelation 7:14, which notes that the multitude 'washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.' This signifies that Christ's sacrifice cleanses us of our sins. Hebrews 9:22 reminds us that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins, confirming that Christ's blood was adequate to satisfy divine justice on behalf of His people. Moreover, His resurrection is a testament to the effectiveness of His atonement, showing that death and sin have been conquered for those who believe.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand suffering?

Understanding suffering helps Christians remain steadfast in faith during trials. Suffering is an integral part of the Christian experience, as noted in the sermon where it states that all believers 'came out of great tribulation.' This aligns with the teaching found in 2 Timothy 3:12, which states that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Recognizing that suffering can serve a sovereign purpose encourages believers to view trials as opportunities to grow in faith and reliance on God. Romans 5:3-5 also highlights that suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope, reminding Christians that God is with them even in their suffering.

Q: What does it mean to be 'clothed in white robes'?

Being clothed in white robes symbolizes purity and righteousness granted by Christ. The imagery of being 'clothed in white robes' found in Revelation 7:9 and 7:14 signifies the righteousness that has been imparted to believers through the atoning work of Christ. White robes illustrate that believers are considered holy and blameless before God, not because of their own deeds, but because they have been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. This concept is affirmed in Isaiah 61:10, which speaks of God clothing His people with garments of salvation and robes of righteousness. Philippians 3:9 further emphasizes that our standing before God is based on faith in Christ, resulting in His righteousness being credited to us.

Q: Why is God's sovereignty important in salvation?

God's sovereignty ensures that salvation is entirely due to His grace and mercy. The sovereignty of God is foundational to the doctrine of salvation, as it affirms that He is in control and that salvation is His work alone. In Revelation 7:10, the multitude ascribes their salvation solely to God and the Lamb, indicating that it is not humans who determine their fate, but God who chooses and calls His people. Ephesians 1:4-5 teaches us that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, highlighting His active role in our salvation. Understanding God's sovereignty provides believers with assurance that their salvation is secure and not dependent on their own efforts but on God's eternal plan and grace.

I'm going to speak to you for
a little while on this subject. Before the throne of God. Before the throne of God. And
my text will be taken from Revelation chapter 7 verse 9. Revelation chapter 7 verse 9. Listen to John as he writes.
After this I beheld and lo, a great multitude, which no man could
number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood
before the throne of God, and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, and palms in their And they cried with a loud voice,
saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb. And one of the elders said, Whence
came these? Who are these, and whence came
they? And I said, Sir, thou knowest. And he said, These are they that
have come out of great tribulation, and washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb. Now, my friends, it's one
thing to read the Scriptures with the eye of a scholar, and
that's the way a lot of people read them, and the way a lot
of people preach them, intellectualism, and with the eye of a scholar,
seeking facts to argue and debate and to differ upon. Well, it's
one thing to read the Scripture with an eye of a scholar. It's
another thing to read the Scripture as a believer. seeking him in
his word and seeking his promise and his comfort. I heard a story
one time that illustrates what I'm saying here. They were having
a great banquet and they had asked an elderly preacher, an
old servant of God, if he would to read some scripture and offer
prayer before the banquet. And so he got up and he chose
this scripture, Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd. And he began
to recite that psalm from his heart, the Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not walk. And when he got to the end of
that passage of scripture, that psalm, there was a famous actor
in the audience who had a friend sitting next to him. And the
friend turned to the famous actor and he said, I've heard you do
that psalm many times, but you've never impressed a group of people
like that old simple preacher. To which the actor replied, well
my friend, I know the psalm. That man knows the shepherd.
That makes a difference. You can know the psalm and it
not benefit you a great deal. But if you know the shepherd,
you can say, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. It's one thing to study the Scriptures
as a scholar. It's another thing to study the
Scriptures as a seeker. Which are you? A seeker? I'll
tell you another thing. It's one thing to read the Word
of God with the eye of a poet. And this is the way a lot of
people read the scriptures. They look for something good,
something beautiful, something mysterious, or something unusual. Well, I'll tell you this, it's
quite another thing to read about God's kingdom and God's country
as a traveler who's about to go there. You know, you can take a book
and thumb through it, a book about, well, let's just say about
Russia. About Russia. And you thumb through
and look at the pictures and you say, well, this is so beautiful.
But now, what if you were going there? And there's a possibility
I may be going there in a few months. I've been invited to
come there and preach. I'm looking at some maps and
pictures of Russia now with a totally different attitude, a totally
different interest. I'm not looking for something
unusual, something pretty. I'm looking to see something
about the people and the place where I'm going. And, you know,
at my age and your age, some of you listening to me, we'd
better be studying the scriptures about God's kingdom and God's
country and God's heaven as a traveler who's just about to catch the
train. In fact, there are many of us
maybe already packed for the trip. So let's look at this scripture
here. that I read to you a moment ago
from Revelation chapter 7. Let's look at it as a seeker,
seeking Him here, and His Word, and His promise, and His blessing.
Let's look at it as one who's about to depart. The time of
my departure is at hand. The Lord's about to take us to
be with Him. Let's see what this says in that
vein, all right? Well, here are three things that
I want to talk to you about. What John saw first, and then
what John heard. John saw something and he heard
something. And thirdly, he learned something. What did he learn?
First of all, what John saw. He said, after this, I beheld,
I saw, and lo, a great multitude, which no man can number, Now,
sometimes you read in the Scripture about the 144,000, 12,000 and
so forth from each tribe. Those are thousands and thousands
upon thousands. That's a definite number for
an indefinite number. Here's the multitude, John saw.
Such a multitude, no man can number it. Innumerable multitude
as the stars of the sky. Can you count the stars? That's
what God said. Abraham, look up and count the
stars. I can't. Innumerable. That's how many
seed you'll have. Abraham, can you count the sands
of the seashore? That's how many seed you have.
Who are the seed of Abraham? Those who believe on Christ,
the sons of Abraham. You know that John, this must
have shocked him to a certain degree because here on the earth
he saw very few believers. John wrote one time, we are of
God and the whole world lies in wickedness. Our Lord said
to them, fear not little flock, He told them another time, broad
is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be that go in
there. Narrow is the way that leads
to life, and few there be that find it. And yet here John says,
a multitude which no man can number. You know something? I believe
there's going to be more in glory than there are in hell. I do. Now I'll tell you what. You look
at this next line. John said, I saw a multitude,
a great multitude, which no man can number, standing before the
throne of God, before the Lamb, of all nations, kindreds, people,
tongues, tribes, villages. In this multitude will be people
from every tribe, every tongue, every nation under heaven. Well,
how can this be? Every nation under heaven hasn't
heard the Gospel. There are tribes and tongues
and languages and dialects all over this world, hundreds and
thousands of them, where no missionaries ever been and where no gospels
ever preached. They've all had infants to die. And every infant, born and dies,
goes to be with God. How do you know that, preacher?
All right, you listen to me. You listen to me. I was out in
California in a meeting one time, and a school teacher came up
to me, an elderly man. He said, Preacher, I had a grandson
that I loved so dearly, about two or three years old. We were
awful close. I loved him so much, and he died. Do you have any scripture at
all that would give me an indication that my grandson is with the
Lord? Oh, I said, yes, yes. Because a man called David, a
man after God's own heart, had a son to die in infancy. And that man, after God's own
heart, who knew God, who walked with God, who wrote under divine
inspiration, who was hand-picked and anointed and ordained of
God to speak for God, not this ten-cent preacher or that one
down the road, or that that hollers and yells and rants and raves. I'm talking about David, whom
God Almighty said, he speaks for me. David said when his son
died, I can't go to him. I mean, he can't come to me,
but I'll go to be with him. My son can't come back here to
the earth, but I can go to him. Well, where was David figuring
on going? He said, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
And that's where my son is. And that's where every infant
and every child that God has taken out of this world is. They're
with Christ. Out of every kindred, nation,
tribe, tongue, language, dialect under heaven, God has a people.
A number which no man can number. They were given to Christ and
Christ redeemed them. I'm not saying they were born
without sin. They're born in sin. But they are given to Christ. They're elect infants. They belong
to Him. That's right. They'll be like
Christ. They'll be from every nation, tongue, kindred. They'll
retain their personal distinction. That's right. They'll be the
freckle-faced, red-headed Irishman and the blonde-headed Scandinavian
and the dark-haired Greek or Italian. But they'll be like
Christ. And they'll retain their identity.
I'm going to be me. You're going to be you. We're
going to be perfect. We're going to be without sin.
We're going to be like Christ. But we're going to be ourselves.
Job said, whom I shall see for myself, not another. You say you're going to know
each other? Why certainly. When Moses and Elijah came back
to this earth, the disciples knew who they were. There was
Moses and Elijah. He died Moses. He was Moses when
he came back. Christ died on the cross and
was buried and rose again. He was Jesus of Nazareth when
he rose and when he went to glory. Well, these people are themselves,
and if from every tribe, kindred, nation, tongue unto heaven, where
are they? They're standing before the throne
of God. Now you read that over and think about it. We usually
just roll over that and don't think a lot about it, but it
says they're standing before the throne of God. Sons of Adam,
sinners of all nations, tribes, kindreds, people like you and
me, actually standing, standing in the presence of God. Well, the ungodly shall not stand,
is what Psalm 1 says. But these people aren't ungodly.
They were, but Christ has washed them, presented them holy without
blame. David said in Psalm 24, who shall
ascend to the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in his presence?
David came to the conclusion the only way a man could stand
in God's presence was to be without sin. He that hath pure heart,
clean hands, and a pure heart. who's never lifted up his soul
to vanity. How can these people stand before
God? Here's the key. They stand before
God and before the Lamb. And before the Lamb. There's
a Lamb slain whose blood was shed. Read Revelation 5 sometime
about that vision John had when he saw Him that sitteth on the
throne, and in His hand was a book written within and without, which
is the will of God, the purpose of God, the covenant of God,
the glory of God, the salvation of God, the book of God. And
he said, there was nobody found worthy to open the book. Nobody
in heaven, earth, or under the earth worthy to open the book.
He said, I wept, I cried. But one of the elders said, don't
weep, don't weep. The Lamb, the Lion of the tribe
of Judah, there's just one Lion of the tribe of Judah, that's
Christ. He's worthy. And I looked, he said, and in
the midst of the throne stood a Lamb as it had been slain.
Behold, the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the
world. He's worthy! And he said, as I watched, the
Lamb stood in the midst of the throne. He's God. He came from
the throne. He walked right up to him that
sitteth on the throne and took the book out of his hand and
opened that book. and fulfilled all that was written
therein concerning God's will and God's purpose and God's justice,
God's righteousness and God's kingdom. That's how they stand
in Him, in Him washed in the blood of the Lamb, in whom we
have forgiveness, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness
of sin through His blood. He died just for the unjust to
bring us there to God and stand us before Him. His Father. Yeah,
in the fullness of time, God sent His Son into this world,
made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were
born under the law, that they might stand in His presence.
Well, I tell you, if God were to bring an unrighteous man or
woman before His throne in heaven, well, God told Moses, even you
can't look on Me and live. No man can look on God and live.
Manoah and his wife said, we're going to die, we've seen the
Lord. And Almighty God, if an unrighteous, unholy person, a
human being, flesh and blood, were to stand in heaven, the
very presence of God would destroy him. The Lord doesn't have to
do anything special to put, destroy man and put him out of existence. God's presence will do that.
The only way these people can stand before the throne is in
the Lamb, washed in the blood of the Lamb, clothed in His righteousness. I tell you, if a man unholy and
unredeemed stood in the presence of God, the presence of God would
destroy him like darkness disappears before the sun. Darkness can't
stand before the sun, it just goes. And that's the way natural man
would be. the presence of God would annihilate
him. Just take him away. John saw
a multitude which no man can understand before God and before
the Lamb. How were they dressed? John said,
I saw them out of every tribe, kindred, nation in heaven and
tongue under heaven, clothed, I saw them clothed with white
robes. Why are the robes white? White
signifies holiness, purity. God said, though your sins be
escorted, I'll make them white as snow. And their dress was the same.
They all had on white robes. They were different ages and
different service and different nations, but they all dressed
just alike. They had on the wedding garb.
They had on the robe, robe of His righteousness. And all of
them had palms in their hands. A palm leaf. You know what the
palm leaf signifies? It signifies victory. The victory
is theirs through the blood of the Lamb. The victory is theirs. A hymn writer said, all the conquerors
bring their palms to the Lamb upon the throne and they proclaim
in joyful songs, victory, victory through His blood alone. They're
praising Him. All right, John heard something.
That's what he saw, a multitude which no man can number, stand
before the throne of God and before the Lamb, clothed in white
robes and proclaiming victory over sin, over death, over hell,
over Satan, over the grave, over all things, victory in Christ. What did John hear? Listen, he
says, and I heard they cried with a loud voice, saying, salvation
to our God which sitteth upon the throne. and to the Lamb.
These people in glory give God all the glory for what they are
and for what they have and for what they'll be. They say salvation
is of the Lord. That's what they're saying. It's
all of the Lord. It's not our works. The glory
is not ours. It's not our merit. It's not
our worthiness. It's not our works. It's not
our deeds. It's not our religion. Salvation to our God and to the
Lamb. Glory to the Father and to the
Son. Unto Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His
own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto our God. Unto
Him be all the glory. Oh, down here on the earth, there
may be people praising flesh, but not up there. Down here on
the earth, there may be people who do not believe in sovereign
mercy, but not up there. They all believe in sovereign
mercy. There may be people on the earth boasting about their
good works and their righteousness and their morality, but nobody
up there. They're saying unto Him, unto Him, salvation to our
God, salvations of the Lord. On earth there may be people
who doubt the necessity of the blood, but not up there. On earth
there may be preachers who deny the efficacy of His precious
atonement, but not up there. On earth, men may talk about
salvation in duties and deeds and church membership, but nobody
up there. Here on the earth, they may say,
you have to belong to our church or be baptized to do this, that
and the other to be saved, but not up there. They say salvation
to our God and to the Lamb unto Him who loved us and washed us. Down here, they may say, I chose
God up there. They know He chose them. They
may speak of other mediators down here, but not up there.
Up there there's one mediator. One advocate. Jesus Christ the
righteous. One intercessor. One Lamb. One
Lamb. I hear people say, well, you're
so narrow-minded. You're so fanatical. You just
claim there's one way of salvation. That's what they're saying glory
to. Salvation to our God. Salvation to the Lamb. unto Him
who loved us, and washed us from our sins. Unto Him be the glory,
both now and forever." That's the only song up there. That's
the song of the Lamb. And those who sang that song
there learned it here. And then John heard the whole
heavens join with him. The whole heavens. Ah, wouldn't
you like to hear that choir? I hope to, by His grace. And he says in the next verse,
and all the angels, These people sang salvation to our God and
to the Lamb. And then all the angels stood
round about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts,
and all the angels of God fell on their faces in this multitude
which no man can number, saying, Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our God
forever and ever. How do you work in here the giving
out of rewards and the giving out of crowns and the designation
of heroes from the earth? Where do you work this in? It's
not here. Here's a sevenfold praise to
our God. This multitude, which no man
can number. They're not praising the soul winners and the preachers
and the things. They're praising Him who loved them. Salvation
to our God. And then they give this sevenfold
praise, this sevenfold anthem. Here it is. Blessing. Blessing. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
all that's within me. Bless His holy name. Glory. He
that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. God will not share
His glory. Wisdom. Christ is the wisdom
and power of God. Proverbs 8, He's wisdom. Thanksgiving,
He's the fountain of grace and the fountain of life. Every good
gift cometh from God. Honor, honor is due unto God
the Father, the righteous judge. Power, power belongeth to God. Might and strength, rock of ages
cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee. That's the sevenfold
praise. All this multitude and all the
angels of heaven and the beast and the elders and everybody
are joining together and singing praise to Him. To Him. That's what John heard. That's
what John heard. You know, I gave you a message
last week on that prayer that's certain to be answered when our
Lord said, I will that those whom thou hast given me be with
me where I am, that they may behold my glory. For thou lovest
me before the foundation of the world. That's what I'm preaching
on, that glory. That all this multitude beholds
and praises. Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving,
honor, power and might, strength to the Lord our God. and to Him
only forever and ever." And then they all said, Amen. So be it. When are we going to quit bragging
on ourselves and bragging on the flesh? I'll tell you when.
When we see His glory. It says in John 12, 41, when
Isaiah saw His glory, he spake of Him. When he saw His glory,
he spake of Him. Now what John learned, And one
of the elders answered and said, who are these which are arrayed
in the white robes? And where'd they come from? Who
are these people? And where'd they come from? And
I said, sir, you know. And he said, yea, these are they
which came out of great tribulation. Notice he didn't say the great
tribulation. No, every one of these people,
every one of them, the whole multitude of every tribe, kindred,
nation, tongue, all of them came out of Tribulation. Great tribulation. Trial. Our Lord said, in this
world you'll have tribulation. They came out of trouble and
tribulation. All the people of God suffer
and have trouble. And they washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they
before the throne of God and they serve Him day and night. You see, John learned that all
of these people, during their time on this earth, had troubles,
troubles and sorrows and suffering, sickness, trials, tribulation. And another thing about them,
every one of them, that's their history, and every one of them
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
No one washed his robe in the baptismal pool. Nobody washed
his robe coming to the sacrament. Nobody washed his robe in a confessional
booth. Nobody washed his robe down to
the old-fashioned mourner's bench. They all washed their robes in
the blood of the Lamb. And they had a glorious future.
John said, they're always before the throne. They serve Him forever. And He that sits on the throne
is going to dwell with them. And they'll never hunger anymore
or thirst anymore. And the sun shall not light on
them, and neither shall heat. That is, the sun of persecution
and the heat of trial will never light upon them. They'll never
have any more sickness, sorrow, or death. And the Lamb will lead
them. The Lamb will lead them. and God will wipe away all tears
from their eyes. Oh, what John said, great multitude,
which no man can number. Out of every tribe, kindred,
nation, tongue unto heaven, where were they? Before the throne
and before the Lamb. Where did they come from? They
came out of great tribulation, washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Before the Throne of God

What does the Bible say about salvation?

How do we know Christ's atonement is sufficient?

Why is it important for Christians to understand suffering?

What does it mean to be 'clothed in white robes'?

Why is God's sovereignty important in salvation?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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Before the Throne of God

What does the Bible say about salvation?

How do we know Christ's atonement is sufficient?

Why is it important for Christians to understand suffering?

What does it mean to be 'clothed in white robes'?

Why is God's sovereignty important in salvation?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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