AM Revelation 7:9-17

[0:00] to our morning worship. It's good to be back with you. This is a very special Sunday for me because at last week's General Assembly I was admitted as a Minister of the Free Church so you're the first congregation to benefit from my official status, whatever difference that's going to make to you. I think probably very little. But it's a joy to be with you again and a joy to be worshipping here live in this situation for all the restrictions we make the best of it. A few intimations that have been passed on to me to pass on to you.

[0:45] First is we again gather for worship this evening at six o'clock and God willing I will be here and what I'm going to do is last time we began to look at one of the pictures of the book of Revelation in chapter 7. We're going to kind of finish that chapter today and then we're going to look at something that falls naturally on from that in the book of Revelation God God willing this evening. So I do hope you can come along to that at six o'clock this evening.

[1:25] On Wednesday evening at seven o'clock there's a prayer meeting and Bible study that will be led by Jack Dodds and then next Lord's Day at the usual times of eleven o'clock and six p.m. the Reverend Robert Dale will be conducting worship. A summary financial statement for the nine months ending the 30th of September is available on top of the bookcase as you go out please take a copy of that and there is a statement to be read out this morning from that General Assembly that I was referring to earlier and to that end there is a leaflet a document summarising this that you'll be able to pick up as you leave worship this morning.

[2:14] The General Assembly recorded their concern over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the overall health and well-being of our people as well as its impact on our national economy.

[2:31] They note with sadness the spiritual and moral decline of recent times and the apparent failure to acknowledge the name of God and to outreach to him for help as the crisis worsens at this time.

[2:46] To that end the General Assembly have appointed a day of prayer to be observed in all congregations on the 25th of October and they call on the church to pray to God Almighty for his merciful intervention to suppress the coronavirus, to give recovery and good health to those who suffer, to comfort those who have endured loss, to turn the hearts of our people to repentance to the Lord our God and for the Spirit of God to bless the preaching of the Gospel.

[3:23] So as we worship God let's just take a moment to bow our heads in prayer. Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God we turn to you we acknowledge you we worship you and we pray for our nation of Scotland and indeed our United Kingdom and the nations of the world as we face together this pandemic we cry out to you in agony and despair about the lack of acknowledgement of you in all these matters.

[4:06] Man still has not learned the lesson that they cannot manage without God and they look to science and they look to other mechanisms but in all that they fail to acknowledge your hand sovereignly in all things.

[4:24] That it is by your mercies that scientists are led to magnificent discoveries that it is by your mercies that doctors have been given skills and abilities and insight that it is by your mercies that we have the drugs that we do have and discoveries that have been made in the past have been led by you and directed by your Spirit.

[4:50] And we pray for an opening up to you Heavenly Father in these days that in judgment you will remember mercy. Make the church a place of light and a place of salt a place where your name is honoured and upheld a place where people can see as the only refuge in these times of trouble and we ask this to the glory of God and to his praise Amen So let's turn and worship God in song We sing from Psalm number 84 We remain seated to listen to Psalm number 84 to God's praise How delightful thy earth dwellings O almighty Lord to me

[5:52] For your voice My soul is yearning In your house I long to be Heart and flesh I am the Lord For the true and living God Even sparrows Heath and sparrows Find their dwelling And the swallow Builds and rest Hear your altar Lord almighty Where the rock's faith May have rest Blessed are those who strength is in you Those who have a pilgrim's mind Holy May have rest Lord to me

[7:01] We be посинrez pour Whose from autumn bridge refresh, Screams in make-out's veil they find, Strength in peace, in Zion, Worthy, no other way to God.

[7:32] As we move into our prayers of adoration and confession, I read again from the Heidelberg Catechism, Question number 31.

[7:44] Why is he called Christ, that is, anointed? And the answer comes because he is ordained of God the Father and anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher, who fully reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our redemption and our only High Priest, who by the one sacrifice of his body has redeemed us and ever lives to make intercession for us with the Father as our eternal King, who governs us by his word and spirit and defends and preserves us in the redemption ordained for us.

[8:36] Let us again unite our hearts in prayer. Let us pray. Almighty God, the psalmist cries out, How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts, to me.

[8:53] And the beauty and the splendor of what was revealed to the psalmist was revealed by your Holy Spirit, reading, guiding and prompting to write, to sing and to worship you.

[9:12] For you are the Lord of hosts, you are Jacob's God, you are our shield, and you are the anointed dear.

[9:25] Almighty God, we are privileged to come into your presence, but we are doubly privileged by the fact that we come into your presence as sons and daughters of the Most High God.

[9:42] Princes and princesses of the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. And as this day we stand in Christ, we recognize that we do so through no merit of our own, but only by your sovereign grace and election.

[10:03] And we thank you for your grace that gave us the gift of faith, and for the obedience of your only begotten Son, who did not consider equality with God something to be held on to, but who emptied himself, became a servant, and died on a cross, obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

[10:29] And we thank you, Heavenly Father, that as he paid that sacrifice, that that sacrifice was acceptable to you. that on the third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and he sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.

[10:47] And we thank you, Heavenly Father, that that throne is occupied by our Savior and by our brother Jesus. And we thank you, Heavenly Father, and we thank you that he is the supreme advocate who asked you not to look on our sin, but to look on his salvation wrought through that cross.

[11:07] Father God, in your mercy, grant us a deeper sense of our deep gratitude and thankfulness to you before your throne of grace and before your throne of mercy.

[11:22] Father, once again, as we come before you, we bow before you to acknowledge that we are sinners and that we have sinned. Bless us, Heavenly Father.

[11:34] Hear us as in the quietness of this moment we bring before you our own confessions and our own prayers. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and through his saving death on the cross and by the truth of his word, it is declared to all of us this day that if we are in Christ Jesus, we are washed in the blood of the Lamb.

[12:06] Our robes have been made white and our sins are forgiven. And so, Heavenly Father, help us to rise from this place with a deep desire to serve you better, to be more faithful to our calling to be salt and light.

[12:24] And that in that day when you call us home, Heavenly Father, we pray that we will not be found wanting, but that you will welcome us with the words, good and faithful servant.

[12:37] Keep us faithful, keep us true, keep us close to you, Lord God. For we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

[12:52] Well, we've got three young men here. I don't know, you can't come down the front really, you want to come down the front, just come down, there's a seat here and the two boys there, so that might be better.

[13:05] I would normally come down to you, but I'm not allowed to do that, which is sad. And, nice to see you. Well, since I saw last time that there was some youngsters here, I thought I would just say something to you.

[13:21] Normally I would be down there and able to show you something. But what I thought we would do is I thought we would just focus on a very simple account of something that happened to Jesus when he was with his disciples.

[13:36] And what you can do this afternoon is you can go home and ask mum and dad to read you this story. It's in Mark chapter 4 and at verse 35.

[13:49] And it's an amazing story, but it's a very challenging story as well. It's an amazing story because it takes place in the middle of a storm.

[14:00] Storm! Now, have you ever been in the middle of a storm? You must have been in the middle of a storm. Because Dumfries, you always hear about the storms in Dumfries and how it's coming down and the river floods over and it's all very traumatic and it's all very dangerous and everybody's upset.

[14:24] I don't know if anybody's ever been out in a boat in the middle of a storm. Have you? No. Because I've been there and that is a very, very, very scary thing.

[14:38] Being in a boat. Being in a boat can be scary, but being in a boat in the middle of a storm can be very scary. Well, listen to what happens. On that day, the Bible says, when evening had come, so they were out in a boat at night time, but they were all, apart from Jesus, they were all fishermen who were out in this boat.

[15:00] So, we should be okay. And Jesus said to them, let's go across to the other side of the sea. And so, Jesus had had a busy day.

[15:13] He had been speaking to the crowds. He'd been telling them about the good news of the gospel. And he just needed some time. And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat.

[15:25] And just as he was, and other boats were with him. And then a great windstorm arose. And waves were breaking into the boat.

[15:36] So that the boat was already filling up. What do you think it was filling up with? Water. Water. That's right. From the sea and from the storm.

[15:48] The wind was blowing the waves into the boat. That must have been extra scary. And it was probably dark by that time. And the boat was filling up.

[16:01] But it tells us something. When all this was happening, it tells us that Jesus was in the boat and he was sleeping. Wow. He obviously didn't feel worried or concerned or frightened.

[16:17] He was sleeping on the cushion on the boat. But the disciples, and these guys, these were all fishermen. And Jesus wasn't.

[16:28] But they went to Jesus and they woke him up. And they said a very, very strange thing to Jesus. They said to Jesus, Do you not care?

[16:43] Do you not care? What a thing to say to Jesus. Do you not care? And Jesus, of course, conveyed to them that of course he cared.

[16:57] This was the Lord. He cared about everybody. But because they were frightened and because of the circumstances that were involved with them at that time with the wind and the waves and out the sea and it was dark, they became afraid.

[17:18] And they began to lose faith that Jesus cared for them. And that's a useful reminder, boys and girls. Because sometimes, like times like this, when we get afraid, we're not quite sure what's happening and we're hearing all these scary stories.

[17:38] It's easy to be afraid and it has to be said, it's easy for some of us to say to God, Do you not care about us? That you're allowing all these things to happen.

[17:49] But this is what Jesus did. He said, basically to them, that they had forgotten that what Jesus had said when they started out was, On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, Let's go across to the other side.

[18:07] So Jesus had already told them that that's where they were going and despite all the circumstances, they were going to get there. And Jesus did care.

[18:20] But he wanted the disciples to live by the promise that he had made them, that they would get to the other side and not be distracted by all the circumstances and all the things that were happening to them.

[18:36] And Jesus woke, we're told, And rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased.

[18:47] And there was a great calm. Jesus is the only person in the world that could ever have done that. Because he was the Lord. He had created all these things.

[19:00] The wind and the sea. And they were at his command. And he said to them, Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?

[19:11] And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, Who then is this that even the wind and the seas obey him?

[19:24] So next time that you feel frightened, I want you to remember that story that Jesus makes promises to us, that Jesus is the one who is in control of everything that's happening in our world.

[19:39] and his Father God are in control of everything that's happening in this world. That Jesus is the one who controls the winds and the seas.

[19:52] They obey him. Do not be afraid. Live by faith and not by circumstances. Let's pray together, will we?

[20:04] We'll speak to God. Let's pray. Father God, we thank you that you care for us. And we know there are times when we kind of forget that you care for us.

[20:17] But help us always to remember that you're the God who's in control. You were the God who was able in that day to control the wind and the seas when the disciples were afraid.

[20:31] And we pray that whatever we're afraid of, Heavenly Father, we might turn to you, rely on you, and have confidence in you. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray this.

[20:45] Amen. Amen. Well, thank you for listening, boys and girls. We're going to sing again from the Psalms. We're going to sing from Psalm 43, from verse 3 onwards, to God's praise.

[21:02] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[21:12] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[21:31] Amen. Amen. Amen.

[21:45] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. in plea, down trod and by the enemy. O send your life forth and your truth, let them direct me in your grace, and bring me to your holy hand, into your sacred dwelling place.

[22:18] Then to God's altar I will go, to God my joy and my delight, and I will praise you with the power, O what you are, my God of might.

[22:42] Why are you found that soul, my soul? Why are you so disturbed in me?

[22:54] Trust God, for I will praise him yet, my Savior and my God. Why are you so disturbed in me?

[23:05] Why are you so disturbed in me? Well, let's turn to God's Word, to the last book of the Bible, to the book of Revelation, to that passage that we read last time that we didn't have time to get through and complete, Revelation chapter 7.

[23:30] And this is the Word of God, and we read God's Word from the ninth verse of the seventh chapter of the book of Revelation. Hear the Word of God.

[23:40] After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.

[24:00] And crying out with a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.

[24:18] And they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying, Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.

[24:31] Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, Who are these clothed in white robes, and from where have they come? I said to him, Sir, you know.

[24:43] And he said to me, These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple.

[24:57] And he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more. The sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.

[25:10] For the Lamb is in the midst of the throne, will be their shepherd. And he will guide them to the springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

[25:24] Amen. And may God bless to us this reading of his holy word and to his name be all praise and glory given. Before we look at that, let's sing again this time from Psalm 119.

[25:39] Psalm 119. I think we're singing from verse 57 to 64. Yep. And we'll just remain seated. Thank you.

[25:51] Thank you. Thank you. You, O Lord, are everything I longed for. I have promised to obey your word.

[26:05] With my own heart I have sought your favor. As you promised and be praised, O Lord.

[26:19] I have thought about my life and conduct. And have turned my steps to watch your way.

[26:30] I will listen and without delaying. Your commands and statutes I'll obey.

[26:44] Though the courts of wicked men ensnare me, I will not forget instructions, boys.

[26:56] I will rise to give you thanks at midnight. For your righteous laws make me rejoice.

[27:10] Those who fear you are my friends forever. All who follow in your precepts way.

[27:22] Earth is filled with your great loving kindness. Teach me your decrees, O Lord, I pray.

[27:34] Well, before we turn to God's word, let's just ask for God's help.

[27:45] And let's turn to him again in prayer. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we again ask you to do what we cannot do for ourselves.

[27:55] And that is to take the words of a mere man. And to take those words and to allow those words to penetrate into our hearts and transform our lives. But we recognize that by the ministry of your Holy Spirit, those human words can have a divine impact on our lives through that spirit.

[28:17] And so we ask that you will minister to us. That you will be in the pulpit speaking to us through your word. And so may your word speak to us, O Lord.

[28:30] Show us ourself, show us yourself. And show us the Saviour. And may your word speak to us, O Lord. Amen.

[28:45] Well, friends, if you remember, we considered this seventh chapter. And what I asked you to imagine was that we were going into some great art gallery.

[28:57] And we went into a room that was marked the Book of Revelation. And we saw in that room many great and mighty pictures that were displayed before us that represented what John had been shown.

[29:13] And we saw how there was a significance in understanding the Book of Revelation by seeing that it was given to sight of John long before it was written down in words.

[29:29] And what I asked you to do is I asked you to imagine that there was a focus on that picture. And we were going to focus in on certain aspects of that.

[29:45] And what we did last time is we focused on what I said was one of the central features of that picture as it was described to us in this seventh chapter of the Book of Revelation.

[29:58] And in that we saw that one of the central features was that there was a lamb. And there was a lamb there who saved by substitution.

[30:16] A lamb who sits in victory. And we saw the significance of that declaration in that Book of Revelation.

[30:31] And so in heaven there is a lamb. In our picture there is a lamb. But we wouldn't have to look too much into that picture to see that not only is there a lamb but there is a multitude.

[30:53] There is a multitude. What that picture shows us is the gathered redeemed of God. A number that we do not know.

[31:10] But a number that God has known from the very beginning of the world. Before time even began. God had chosen that multitude to gather.

[31:27] And on the day when this broken world is brought to an end and a conclusion. And let us never forget that. We will pick that up in a few moments God willing.

[31:40] When that world is brought to an end and a conclusion. In that moment it will be revealed to us all. What God has known from the very beginning of the world.

[31:56] And that multitude will have certain features about it that should give us great confidence. The first thing is that multitude will be a promised gathering.

[32:08] A gathering that God conveyed to Abraham. As he made the covenant relationship with Abraham. That his ancestors would be as numerous as the stars.

[32:24] And here before the throne. One is this great multitude of people fulfilling that great promise. That God made through his covenant to Abraham.

[32:38] That God now keeps. In the revelation of that multitude. The second thing that we know about that will be that not only is it a promised gathering.

[32:53] But it is a multinational gathering. From every nation. God has chosen his people. And it is a restored gathering.

[33:06] That is drawn from all the nations and tribes of the world. But not as some would have us from all the religions of the world. Only those who are in Christ Jesus will be numbered among this multitude.

[33:22] And as we have seen. If we know anything about the history of the Old Testament. About the history of God's judgment.

[33:33] That God's judgment often displays itself in a scattering. And in a division. The Tower of Babel would be one of the most obvious examples of that.

[33:45] Where everybody started speaking in different tongues. There was a division. There was a scattering. That was exemplary. Of the judgment of God.

[33:57] Similarly going right back to the garden. Adam and Eve. Were in beautiful harmony. One with the other. Eve born of the very bone of Adam.

[34:11] A union. Between a man and a woman. In that sacred bond of unity. And then sin comes into the world.

[34:22] And they are at odds with each other. They are scattered. And they are divided. And so the great picture. Of this multitude. Of this multinational gathering.

[34:35] Is that God scatters in judgment. But he restores. But he restores. His elect people. In unity. And that reminds us.

[34:50] Of something that is vitally important. That the gospel. Is not a project. The gospel. The gospel. The gospel. Is an identity.

[35:03] That we have in Christ. And that we have with one another. And I hope you have experienced that. As I have had the privilege.

[35:15] Of experiencing it. As you travel around this world. As we invite people. From other lands. And overseas. To come into our midst. They enter the door.

[35:27] As perfect strangers. And if they are in the Lord. Within five or ten minutes. We are sitting around the table. And it is as if we have known each other. All our life.

[35:38] We are brothers. We are sisters. We are in Christ. And we have an identity. That brings us together. In true unity.

[35:52] In Christ. A promise gathering. A multinational gathering. And a worshipping people.

[36:04] Not only is there. In heaven. A slam. Not only in heaven. Is there a multitude. But in heaven.

[36:17] There is a song. And that reminds us too. That true worship. Is the reserved activity.

[36:29] Of the people of God. Unbelievers. Unconverted people. At best. Eavesdrop. On this activity.

[36:41] Of the church. And you will notice there. That this worship. Is described with. Such enthusiasm. In verse 10.

[36:52] And crying out. With a loud voice. They were not ashamed. They were not ashamed. Of the gospel. They had no sense.

[37:04] Of embarrassment. About singing out. In praise of God. God. And that friends.

[37:15] Is what is so. Frustrating. And unnatural. About the circumstances. That we find ourselves in. That we cannot sing.

[37:27] That we cannot sing. Praises to God. God. And sadly. Our secular government. That is so far. Removed. From God. And.

[37:38] Please believe me. This is not a political. Jibe. Significant numbers. Of our politicians. Are far removed. From God.

[37:49] And they have no concept. Whatsoever. Are. About how important. Singing. And worship. Is. To the people of God. It's not good.

[38:03] To go away from. Services. On a Sunday morning. Impatient. Or. Annoyed. But actually. In these days. We should go away. With that sense.

[38:14] Of deep regret. The minister was okay. The prayers were fine. But. We weren't. Able to sing.

[38:27] We weren't. Able to praise. If you want to put it. In these terms. And it's quite legitimate. To do so. We weren't. Able to join. With the company. Of heaven.

[38:40] And worship. And here is why. I said earlier. That that worship. Is the reserved activity. Only of the converted.

[38:51] People of God. Because their word. Their worship. Is directed. Towards God. The focus. Was on that lamb. I've often.

[39:05] I've often gone to the door. And people will say. I didn't get anything. Out of the service. I remember my good friend. Eric Alexander. Telling me. That someone had said that. At the door.

[39:16] And Eric. I suppose. In his gracious manner. Said. I didn't know. That that's why. We were here. For you to get something. Out of the worship. You see.

[39:29] The worship. Is not about. Something that satisfies. Us. But the worship. Is directed. To God. And to the lamb. And you will see that.

[39:39] What they were worshipping God. They fell. Before the throne. Faces before the throne. Verse 11. And worship God. Saying. Amen. Blessing. And glory. And wisdom. And thanksgiving.

[39:51] And honour. And power. And might. Those of you who. Are schooled in English. Would think. Why are there not just commas there? Because.

[40:03] You see. What is being emphasised there. Is that each of these things. Are in their own right. Important. God.

[40:13] As we bow. Before your throne. We want to give you. Glory. We want to attribute. To you. Wisdom. And thanksgiving. And honour.

[40:24] And power. And might. Be to our God. Forever and ever. They were saying. In their songs. That they understand. Salvation. That they understand.

[40:35] Grace. That they understand. The enormous debt. That they owe to God. For what he has done. This salvation. All of God. All of grace.

[40:45] And all in Christ. And understand. That they had salvation. By nature. Of that grace. Their robes.

[40:56] Have been washed white. In the shed blood. Of the lamb. Their robes. Spoke of the ultimate clothing. That had been provided.

[41:06] For their. By their God. As a covering. For them. Just as he did. To Adam and Eve. Back in those opening chapters. Of Genesis. Like I said last time. If we don't get Genesis 1.

[41:18] 2 and 3 right. We're going to misunderstand. An awful lot. Or fail to understand. An awful lot. That is in the Bible. Cleansed. And clothed.

[41:30] The people sing. Of salvation. What is it? The hymn says. All these once. Were sinners. Defiled in thy sight. Now arrayed in pure garments. Their praise.

[41:42] They unite. And to him. Be the glory. You see this. As. When I was a.

[41:52] Church of Scotland minister. I used to. By nature. Of my responsibilities. Do a lot of. What we call. Parish funerals. And it was basically. People who lived. In our parish.

[42:02] When they had died. Would come to. The parish minister. As. As their only contact. With. The church. And often. I was asked to do the funeral. And. By the very nature of that.

[42:14] Gathering. There was a lot of secular people. There. It was. Perhaps the only opportunity. Now that we get. To minister. To secular people. And I used to see people.

[42:25] Who would. Arrogantly. And boldly. Stand there. Refusing. To sing. And it used to annoy me. At first. As a young minister.

[42:37] But then I understood. They have nothing. To sing about. And there's more to be pitied.

[42:49] Than scolded. When people have nothing. To sing about. They were singing. They were serving. And they were satisfied.

[43:01] That's why we're told there. They shall hunger no more. Neither shall they thirst any more. The sun shall not strike them. Nor any scorching heat. There was a sense of satisfaction.

[43:13] A sense. Of safety. A sense. Of being. Complete. Just like we were thinking.

[43:24] As we were. Speaking to the young people. About that incident. Way back at the Sea of Galilee. In the midst of that storm. The disciples who had.

[43:35] Lost faith in Jesus. Do you. Not care. They had lost that sense. Of completion. In Christ.

[43:46] Of that fullness. Of that safety. In him. They had taken their eyes. Of Jesus. They had forgotten his promise.

[43:57] That. Guys were going to the other side. And sometimes. You have to go through the storm. But the.

[44:08] Arrival safely. On the other shore. Is guaranteed. And those. Of that multitude. Who were gathered. Before the throne.

[44:19] On that great day. Knew what it is. To be. Assure. To be safe. To be satisfied. To know that God.

[44:32] Had done. Something for them. That could only have been. Achieved. Through grace. Remember. Lady Macbeth.

[44:44] The stained hands. Of that. Imaginary blood. All the perfumes. Of Arabia. Could not deal. With the soiled nature.

[44:54] Of my hands. But Christ. Could. His blood.

[45:06] Will take away. Any stain. Any sin. Any harm. There was a lamb.

[45:19] There. In heaven. There is a multitude. In heaven. There is. A song. And in heaven.

[45:34] There is a throne. And there. Before that throne. And that throne.

[45:44] In heaven. We need to be very clear. Is. A throne. That is. Not some. Artifact. That. Under some.

[45:55] Circumstances. We might. Go into a museum. And see. The way. We might look at. The Egyptian tombs. Or. Tutankhamen's. Face mask.

[46:07] This throne. Is. Not a treasure. That is simply there. To be observed. But this throne. Is.

[46:19] Occupied. The lamb. Is on. The throne. And.

[46:32] What I want to do. In the. The few minutes. That are left. Here. Is. To. To ask the question. Why does any of this. Matter. What is the significance.

[46:46] Of this. Well. An occupied throne. Means. That the king. Is in place.

[47:00] And the fact. That we are told. That that throne. Is occupied. It turns our focus. Towards Jesus. As the ascended. And reigning king.

[47:12] To the absolute. Completion. And significance. Of who Jesus is. And we. We saw the. Importance. And the significance. Of the fact.

[47:23] That Jesus. Was seated. On the throne. Indicative. Of the fact. That the work. Was done. Salvation. Had been accomplished.

[47:34] It is over. In contrast. To the. Old Testament. Hebrew. Priests. Who would stand. Each day. Offer sacrifices. Daily. That did not. Deal with sin.

[47:45] Jesus. Jesus now. Now sits down. Once for all. That sin. Dealt with. The absolute. Sufficiency. Of Jesus.

[47:56] Is represented. On him. Sitting on the throne. The absolute. Sufficiency. Of what he. Accomplished. By his death. And resurrection. In obedience.

[48:07] To the father. Father. And what we need. In this day and age. Is a people of God. More focused. On the things. Of eternity.

[48:18] More focused. On that throne. More focused. On that multitude. You hear people. Using the term.

[48:30] Oh he's too. Heavenly minded. To be any. Earthly use. A kind of. Derogatory. Setting aside.

[48:42] Of people. Who. Have a spiritual. Awareness. And a spiritual. Dimension. And a. A spiritual. Word. To say. Into any. Situation.

[48:54] But let me. Give you. My experience. Of. 36 years. In pastoral. Ministry. Dealing with. A congregation. I have never.

[49:07] Found. People. Of a. Spiritual. Mind. To be. Useless. Indeed. Indeed. My.

[49:18] Greatest. Problem. Were. People. Who. Were. Too. Earthly. Minded. To be. Any. Spiritual. Use. And.

[49:31] What. This. Throne. Does. Is. It. Helps. Us. To. Focus. Our. Attention. On. Looking. To. Jesus. In.

[49:43] Exactly. The. Same. Way. As. The. Disciples. Needed. To. Refocus. Their. Attention. On. Jesus. In. The. Midst. Of. That. Storm. So. We. Need.

[49:53] To. Look. To. Jesus. To. To. Abide. In. His. Promise. To. Live. By. Promise. And. Not. Circumstances. To.

[50:06] Think. Of. That. Promise. Of. Jesus. My. Church. Will. Be. Built. By. Me. And. It. Will. Be. Done. My. Way. Says. Jesus. By.

[50:18] The. Presence. Of. My. Spirit. In. The. Proclamation. Of. My. Name. Through. The. Preaching. Of. The. Gospel. There. Is. A. Fight. To. Be. For. There.

[50:28] Is. A. Race. To. Be. Run. There. Are. Are. Dangerous. To. Be. Met. On. The. Way. But. The. Lord. Is. My. Light. And. The. Lord. Is. My. Life. And. The. Lord. Is. My.

[50:38] Strength. And. My. Story. He. Calls. Me. To. Trust. And. Obey. And.

[50:49] This. Is. A. Necessary. Reminder. For. Us. As. We. Go. Through. Difficult. Days. And. It. Is. A. Rest. A. Necessary. Reminder. For. The.

[51:00] Persecuted. Church. Hebrews. Chapter. 11. Gives. That. Great. List. Of. All. The. Saints. And. All.

[51:10] Those. Who. Persevered. In. The. Gospel. Some. New. Success. And. Blessing. Others. Didn't. But.

[51:22] They. Knew. That. Beyond. The. Things. Of. This. Earth. Was. Something. Better. Something. Bigger. Something. Eternal.

[51:36] Look. To. Jesus. Consider. Him. Along. With. That. Goes.

[51:46] The. Fact. That. It. Reminds. Us. That. God. Is. Sovereign. Over. The. Vast. Scheme. Of. Events. And. Circumstances. I. Was. Listening. To.

[51:56] The. Radio. In. The. Car. The. Other. Day. There. And. Somebody. Come. On. Says. I. Worry. That. I. Can't. Find. My. Place. Today. In. The. Vast. Scheme. Of. Things.

[52:09] And. The. Interview. Who. Was. Interviewing. Them. Said. I. Worry. More. That. There. Isn't. A. Vast. Scheme. Of. Things. Things. I.

[52:20] Worry. More. That. There. Isn't. A. Vast. Scheme. Of. Things. You. See. That. Somebody. Who. Has. No. Concept. No.

[52:30] Understanding. No. Confidence. Of. A. God. Who. Is. On. The. Throne. And.

[52:41] Two. Problems. You. See. Are. Dealt. With. By. This. Understanding. Of. God. And. His. Sovereignty. It. Deals. With. The. Problem. Of. Men. And. Women. Thinking. They. Are. More. Significant.

[52:52] Than. They. Are. That's. The. Lesson. That. We've. Singularly. Refused. To. Learn. Over. These. Last. Few. Months.

[53:04] You. Would. Have. Thought. As. We. Stood. There. Last. January. Never. Having. Heard. Of. Covid. When. Men. Were. So. Confident. About. What. They. Could. Do. And.

[53:14] What. They. Could. Achieve. Nothing. Could. Put. Them. Off. Their. Stride. They. Had. Everything. Under. Control. The. World. Economies. Were. Booming. And.

[53:25] Everything. Was. Going. Swimmingly. Well. Men. And. Women. Are. Ruling. The. World. And.

[53:37] Then. In. A. Moment. In. The. Blinking. Of. An. Eye. We. Hear. Of. Half. A. Dozen.

[53:47] People. In. China. Who. Have. Taken. Ill. We. Hear. Of. A. Terrible. Flu. Virus. And.

[54:00] Within. Days. That. World. That. Was. Strong. And. Confident. And. Could. Deal. With. Anything. Was.

[54:12] In. Shutdown. And. Chaos. God's. Sovereignty.

[54:25] Brings. Men. And. Women. Down. To. Size. Remember. When. Jesus. Was. Being.

[54:35] Questioned. About. His. Authority. He. He. Gave. A. Very. Simple. But. Profound. Answer. Jesus.

[54:46] Said. Before. Abraham. Was. I. Am. You.

[54:58] You know. There. Are. There. Are. Still. People. Around. The. World. In. The. Church. Who. Think. That. God. Is. Still. Dependent. On. Them. To. Keep. The. Church. Right. To. Set. It. In.

[55:08] The. Direction. And. Most. Often. Than. Not. There. Are. Those. Who. Think. They. Are. Generally. The. Least. Spiritual. And. Any. Discerning. Believer. Will. Not. Follow. Them. To. The. Garden.

[55:18] Gate. Because. Often. These. People. Are. Shown. To. Be. Shallow. And. You. See.

[55:28] We've. Lost. A. Spiritual. Perspective. But. There. Is. A. Flip.

[55:39] Side. To. That. Of. God. Sovereignty. Because. It's. Easy. When. We. Think. Of. God. Sovereignty. To. Think. That. Men. And. Women.

[55:49] Are. Of. No. Significance. Whatsoever. And. That. Would. Be. Equally. Wrong. Because.

[55:59] God. Saves. Us. With. A. Purpose. He. Doesn't. Save. Us. To. Be. Dust. He.

[56:12] Saves. Us. To. Have. A. Significance. Us. Our. Lives. Count. Count. God.

[56:25] Formed. Us. In. The. Womb. For. A. Purpose. Purpose. But.

[56:35] The. Purpose. Is. The. Purpose. Prefall. The. Purpose. That. We. Are. Formed. For. Is. That. God. Might. Dwell.

[56:45] In. Us. And. That. We. Might. Worship. Him. And. Serve. Him. And. Be. Satisfied. In. Him. The.

[56:58] Picture. Of. Revelation. Seven. Is. Not. Some. Random. Gathering. But. Is. The. Purposeful. Precious.

[57:11] People. Of. God. There. Is. No. Jew. Or. Gentile. The. Confused. Are. Informed. The. Scattered. Are. Gathered. Division.

[57:22] Is. Conquered. And. All. This. In. The. Gospel. We. Are. Building. Day. By. Day. As. The. Moments.

[57:33] Pass. Away. And. That's. God's. Work. That. Building. And. We. Are. Built. By.

[57:44] God. What is it. That. Wesley. Says. That. You know. Great. Arminian. I. Sometimes. Marvel. At. The. Words. That.

[57:54] He. Wrote. Changed. From. Glory. Into. Glory. Till. Till. In. Heaven. We. Take. Our. Place. Till. We. Cast.

[58:04] Till. We. Cast. Our. Crowns. Before. Him. Lost. In. Wonder. Love. And. Praise. There. Is. A. Lamb. In. Heaven.

[58:14] There. There. Is. A. Lamb. In. Heaven. There. Is. A. Multitude. In. Heaven. There.

[58:24] Is. A. Song. In. Heaven. And. There. Is. A. Throne. In. Heaven. That. Is. Occupied. By. The. King. Of. Kings. And. The. Lord. Of. Lords. Will.

[58:38] You. Stand. Before. That. Throne. Because. Beloved. You. Will. Only. Stand. There. By.

[58:49] Grace. Through. Faith. In. The. Saving. Substitutional. Atonement. That. Was. Wrought. On. That. Hill. Of.

[59:00] Calvary. By. The. Lamb. Who. Sits. On. The. Throne. Let's.

[59:11] Pray. Father. It is our deed. Our earnest prayer. That all. Who are in this building today.

[59:21] Will know what it is. To stand. On that day. As part of that multitude. And to cry out. With the whole of the elect.

[59:33] Giving you. Glory. And wisdom. And thanksgiving. And honour. And power. And might be to our God.

[59:44] Forever. And ever. Amen. Now I should have checked. I gave a choice of final hymns.

[59:55] And we're going to sing. Before the throne of God above. Before the throne of God above.

[60:08] I have a strong and perfect plea. A great high priest whose name is love. Whoever lives and pleads for me.

[60:23] My name is graven on his hands. My name is written on his heart. I know that while in him he stands.

[60:38] No tongue can bid me this depart. No tongue can bid me this depart. When Satan tempts me to despair.

[60:54] And tells me of the guilt within. Upward I look and see him there. Who made an end of all my sin.

[61:09] Because a sinless Savior died. My sinful soul is counted free. For God the justice satisfied.

[61:24] To look on him and pardon me. To look on him and pardon me. Behold him there.

[61:38] The risen Lamb. My perfect spotless righteousness. The great unchangeable I am.

[61:50] The King of glory and of grace. One with himself I cannot die. My soul is purchased by his blood.

[62:05] My life is here with Christ on heart. With Christ my Savior and my God. With Christ my Savior and my God.

[62:20] And now may grace, mercy and peace of the one true living God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

[62:32] Rest and abide with each and every one of us. This day and forevermore. Amen.