Redemption Preparation
The Revelation of Jesus Christ Series • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 43:03
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During my trips to Africa I experienced worship a little different than we engage in worship here… I recall one of the songs we sang was over ten minutes long! In that song they sang about all they were grateful to God for. One of the ladies in one church gave me a CD they had made of their worship songs… one of my favorites is “Our God is Good” sang to a reggae beat. The song list the many ways God is so good. The songs were usually longer but the words spoke truth concerning our Great God!
This morning as we transition our worship in song… to our worship in God’s Word I would like to read for you the very first song we have recorded for us in scripture…
Moses and the people of Israel are standing on the sandy shores having just observed God’s power like never before and as they look they break into song with tambourines … Exodus 15:1-18
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and said,
“I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
“The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will extol Him.
“The Lord is a warrior;
The Lord is His name.
“Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
“The deeps cover them;
They went down into the depths like a stone.
“Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power,
Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
“And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You;
You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.
“At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,
The flowing waters stood up like a heap;
The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
“The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil;
My desire shall be gratified against them;
I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.’
“You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
“Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in praises, working wonders?
“You stretched out Your right hand,
The earth swallowed them.
“In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed;
In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.
“The peoples have heard, they tremble;
Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
“Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;
All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
“Terror and dread fall upon them;
By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone;
Until Your people pass over, O Lord,
Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.
“You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance,
The place, O Lord, which You have made for Your dwelling,
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
“The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”
What an amazing song! Simply stating what God has done, the very things you are absolutely amazed with Him about. I start with this song because as we come to our passage today we we be observing the last song recorded in scripture!
John opens Revelation 15:1 by setting the scene and summarizing the grand finale event that is about to occur.
Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.
The Redeemer’s Finale
The Redeemer’s Finale
As John begins to write this down he see’s another “sign” in heaven. (this is now the third sign) Once again John finds himself in the throne-room of God Almighty. Revelation 15 serves as a prelude to the bowl judgements and the return of Jesus Christ to earth.
The descriptors “great & marvelous” here and wonder why is the plagues or wrath to come great or marvelous?
Such is the scene that John sees here that he is doubling the superlatives!!!
These words here actually hold the concept of huge, or awe inspiring… what is seen here will blow ones mind, cause awe and wonder…
The magnitude of what is coming will take ones breath away!!!
John also records for us here that this is the “last”…
We observed the seven seals peeled back as the world felt the impacts of His judgement
The trumpets have brought forth His righteous anger
Warnings have gone forth, time has been given, excuses have been erased… Grace and Mercy have been extended
FINISHED… the work is complete, what was set out to be done has been accomplished
The very same word Jesus used on the cross!
What we are about to see is the work of a REDEEMER...
One who frees from distress or harm, to set free from captivity through payment, to help overcome, to release from dept, to free from the consequence of sin…
John as he observes these angels also notices another magnificent sight and with it comes a beautiful sound of praise… Revelation 15:2-4
And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.
And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!
“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For all the nations will come and worship before You,
For Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
The Redeemer Praised
The Redeemer Praised
Such a beautiful scene here of the saints “who are victorious” taking up harps and singing a song of worship and praise!
Standing in Heaven before the throne on the sea like glass those who have died “stand victorious”
Death for the believer is not the end, it is not defeat, rather for them it is VICTORY!
Like Paul they can declare, “O death, where is your victory, O death, where is your sting!”
These are overcomers! Those who persevere WIN!
Victory! over the political pressure of the beast
Victory! over religious pressure of the false prophet and the image of the beast
Victory! over economic pressure of the number of the beast
They will realize like many saints before them and like the martyr Jim Elliot stated so well, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose!”
NOTICE THEIR PRAISE: it is NOT look what I did or did not do because of Him, NOT I was strong because He brought me through, NOT I endured because He is great… RATHER it is solely focused on God:
His marvelous works
His righteous and true ways
His power and authority
His Name and Holiness and how in response to HIM… all nations will respond!
A focus on God Almighty that is worship! It puts a melody on our hearts!
Here they sing Two Songs… possibly blended into one glorious melody of praise and worship.
The Song of Moses & The Song of The Lamb
The Song of Moses & The Song of The Lamb
Both songs declare God’s REDEMPTION and PRAISE!!
Moses’s Song: sang on the sands BY the Red Sea
Lamb’s Song: sang before the throne ON the Crystal Sea
Moses’s Song: redemption from physical bondage
Lamb’s Song: redemption from spiritual bondage
Moses’s Song: praises for triumph over Egypt
Lamb’s Song: praises for the triumph over Babylon
Moses’s Song: people sustained with manna and water from the Rock
Lamb’s Song: the Lamb sustains us as the Bread of Life, the Living Water as our Rock
Moses’s Song: praises for how God brought His people OUT!
Lamb’s Song: rejoices of how God is bringing His people IN!
Moses’s Song: looks ahead to the Promised Land
Lamb’s Song: looks back at Calvary & Anticipates the Lamb’s reign on His Throne
Moses’s Song: commemorates and celebrates the defeat of an adversary… the wonderful expectations of God’s people… the praises and exultation of the Lord Almighty…
Lamb’s Song: declares all three of those things as well!
The first song lifted up thousands of years ago… or the last song sung in Heaven… ALL songs of worship glorify God for who He is and the amazing awe-inspiring works He has done!
As the song concludes, John’s attention is drawn to the temple in Heaven… Revelation 15:5-8
After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened,
and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chests with golden sashes.
Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
The Redeemer’s Assembly
The Redeemer’s Assembly
I love the image of Temple doors OPEN! What an amazing picture that you and I now have open fellowship and access to God Almighty because of Jesus Christ!
As things are assembled here I notice some things:
There is order not chaos
There is procession not panic
There is preparation… the clothing, responsibilities, a handing off
There is even a worship & reverence here as this is prepared
This is NOT our God responding out of panic, frustration, reactive
Rather His wrath is Holy, Righteous, Necessary and calculated through Mercy and Grace
This scene here closes describing God…
He “lives forever and ever”
The smoke filled temple “glory of God and His Power”
So great is his GLORY and POWER non could enter in this moment until it was FINISHED!
Makes You Want to Worship
Makes You Want to Worship
I love the song we are closing with today… #45 in our hymnals, “Crown Him with Many Crowns” the last verse states our “endless praise”
Singing praise and worship will never cease… even in eternity! I love the final verse of “Amazing Grace” as well…
“When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
bright shining like the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
than when we first begun.”
Church let us not wait to sing the praises of our redeemer, may we boldly, whole heatedly, declare them now!
LET’S WORSHIP HIM!!!
