"To the Glory of God Alone"

The Glory of God Alone in the Reformation

Morning and I pray that the hymns we have sung have been truly what we believe, that all the glory is yours alone. We can take no credit for the success of the church, the salvation of our souls, the blessings we enjoy.

We give you the glory. I pray this morning as we look at the text that she would help us to give you all the glory. We pray these things for Christ's sake. Amen. I invite you to open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 7.

We're going to be looking at verses 9 through 17. We're coming to the conclusion of our five-fold protest, an expression of a 500-year-old protest that protests the spiritual oppression of human beings by false religion, false Gospels.

We know by the scriptures alone that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. And we've seen a series of different passages which shed light on those truths, but this passage in Revelation 7, 9 through 17, clearly directs our attention.

At the end of all things, all the redeemed will be confessing together this truth that it's all to the glory of God alone, to the glory of God alone. We have here a little set for our skit coming up on Wednesday night, and we have the 95 Theses posted up here, just a little reminder of the season that we're in.

So I think about the Reformation, I think about the theme of the Reformation, post tenebrex lux, which is Latin and it means after darkness, light. After darkness, light. What darkness? What light? After the darkness of there being no scripture in the language of the people, after there being no preaching of the Word of God to the people, after that darkness came the light of the scriptures translated into the language of the common people and preachers rising up to proclaim the Word of God line upon line, verse by verse, so that we would know who Christ is, we would know what the gospel is.

After the darkness of a false gospel calling people to save themselves by works, came the light of a true gospel that said we are saved by grace alone. After the darkness of relying upon traditions of men and being confined to an elitism of saints and priests, comes the light of the scriptures showing us what God has to say, and he says that in Christ we are a centered salvation comes the light of a God-centered salvation, post tenebrex lux.

The bringing of the light into the darkness, however, was not as simple as the flick of a light switch. It was not quick, it was not easy, and there were many struggles and there were many sacrifices that had to be made.

And even the success stories like Martin Luther and John Calvin and John Knox, even their success stories are riddled with many sufferings, many pains, many sorrows, and there were many also like Ulrich Zwingli and Tyndale and others who suffered even more, dying for their faith.

I was reminded of this as I was looking through a hymnal lent to me and it was from the mid -1800s and I found a ballad near the end, 11 verses about an unnamed young woman who died for her faith because she found a copy of God's Word in her own language and came to faith in Christ, but then was killed by Roman Catholic persecutors.

We don't have those songs in our hymnals anymore. We forget. We forget that the costs were paid. We forget and take for granted the things that we have in front of us here today, the things we've done today, that we've gathered and we've prayed to God in the name of Christ instead of praying to Saint Jude or Saint Anne.

We don't have statues in here. We don't bow before them and worship them and venerate them. There's not one person here who can forgive your sins. I am NOT a priest. I am a brother. I, like you, look to Christ for my salvation.

We have so many blessings because of the Reformation, but as we look at the text, we come to the end of it. It's not by man's efforts. It's all to the glory of God. It's all to the glory of God and the struggles of the Reformers were not unique to their time.

The Seven Churches, the Horsemen, and Tribulation

As we think about Revelation and you begin to read through and you discover in chapters 2 and 3, seven letters to the churches in Asia Minor organized along the postal route and Jesus, through the Apostle John, sends them messages of encouragement and exhortation and even rebuke, calling them to faithfulness amidst their many tribulations, their many sufferings.

These are encapsulated by the horsemen. They knew the sound and felt the effects of the red horse of slaughter and the black horse of poverty and injustice and the livid horse of death. They knew what it was like to suffer tribulations.

They knew what it was like to be persecuted for their faith and the message time and again to them was to cling to Christ so that in Christ they would overcome. The message is still for us today, for we too go through tribulations.

We too go through troubles. Jesus said in this world you will have trouble. Be of good courage for I have overcome the world. We must cling to Christ for only in Christ will we overcome the tribulations of these last days and we tend to resent them.

We tend to resent the tribulations of these last days and and we can hear the resentment in our own voice every time we complain, every time we grumble about what this world is coming to and what our politicians are doing to us and so on and so forth.

Do we not understand that we're in a spiritual battle, not a political battle? We're in a spiritual battle. We don't wrestle against flesh and blood. Do we not understand that the tribulations that come to us should not be a surprise?

As Christians we should understand that there is tribulation and stop seeking accommodation. There are many fingers being pointed in the middle of questions and doubts. Even accusations are leveled not necessarily against God that can happen in our weak moments as we wonder why God would you ever allow this to happen?

But also accusations are being pointed at the church and the church is not accommodating enough. The church doesn't offer us tribulation free Christianity and if we are not comfortable and accommodated and if our children don't have what they want, we point the finger at the church and say you're not accommodating enough.

We tend to resent the tribulations of these last days and yet our text in the frame of tribulations has the painting of the glory of God to show us that our salvation from start to finish, our salvation from start to finish, is to the glory of God alone.

The Great Multitude from Every Nation

Let's look at the text beginning in verse 9. Will you please stand with me as we read this? These are the words of God. In the word of God may we see Christ. After these things I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could count from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb clothed in white robes and palm branches were in their hands and they cry out with a loud voice saying salvation 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 and they fell on their faces before the throne and worship God saying amen blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever amen.

Then one of the elders answered saying to me these who are clothed in the white robes who are they and where have they come from? I said to him my Lord you know he said to me these are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb for this reason they are before the throne of God and they serve him day and night in his temple and he who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them they will hunger no longer nor thirst anymore nor will the Sun beat down on them nor any heat for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to the springs of the water of life and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.

God be praised. You may be seated. When we when we look at this passage we see a picture of the redeemed at the end of all things but when we look at the redeemed we see nothing but the glory of God. We begin with their population the population of the redeemed you see that they are many in number and they are many in nationality but as we look at their sum at the beginning of verse 9 after these things I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could count as John looks about in this vision as far as he can see that way and as far as he can see that way he sees nothing but a great mass of people from all the ends of the earth from every time of the earth.

And he says I can't count them all. The sum of the redeemed is to the glory of God but behold the wideness of God's mercy. This is according to his plan in Genesis chapter 1 God made man in his own image according to his own likeness.

He made his own. He made them into his own likeness his own image male and female. He created them and he blessed them and he said to them be fruitful and multiply. It's according to God's plan that those bearing his image would multiply and fill the earth with his glory now fallen in sin.

We do not glorify God because of Adam because of sin because of because of the curse because of death. We do not image forth God in the way that we should. And yet this does not frustrate God's plan for all along Adam was a type of him who was to come the second Adam the true Adam the most human of all humans Jesus Christ who is the image of the invisible God.

And that in Christ that we would be a multitude those bearing the image of God and glorifying God. And at the end of all things God has his multiplied people giving him glory. It's according to his plan.

So it's to his glory. It's according to his promise. God took a man named Abram a 75 year old pagan with no children. He was an idol worshiper from the land of Ur and God came to Abram and to his wife Sarai he says to Abram I will be your God you will be my people and I will take you to a land that I will show you.

He takes Abram to this land. He makes promises to him that not will he be a only a father but a father of a multitude of nations. Genesis 17 5 a multitude of nations. He takes Abram out into the night and tells him to look up into the sky in Genesis 15.

And he says. Count the stars. I can't. There's too many so shall your descendants be Abram. Paul is very clear when he says that the promises were to Abraham and to his seed not seeds but seed singular meaning to Christ.

And that in Christ the promises God made to Abraham are fulfilled. And there was a multitude that no man can count like the stars of the heavens. It's all to the glory of God alone. It's according to his plan according to his promise too many to count and as according to his power.

This is a striking thing for me. As I read here about the multitude which no man can count I'm scratching my head. How does this work with the language throughout the Old Testament about the remnant. The remnant who were faithful.

The remnant who believed. The remnant who trusted in the shadows of the Messiah and were the true faithful ones. How does the multitude which no man can count. How does that resolve with the remnant or the few that Jesus spoke of so often.

Wide is the gate. Broad is the way that leads to destruction. And many are those who go in. Yet narrow is the gate. Difficult is the way that leads to eternal life. And few there are who find it coming to the end of a story he was telling about the kingdom of God.

He was talking about a marriage feast. And he's telling the story about a man who came to the marriage feast yet did not put on the appropriate clothing symbol of the righteousness of Christ. He is cast out into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And Jesus closes that story by saying this many are called. Few are chosen. Few few. And and then Jesus speaks with a rich ruler. And the rich ruler thinks he's righteous. He thinks he's close to God and God.

And Jesus challenges him about his greed and his idolatry his worship of money. And the rich ruler refuses to repent. And he was away sorrowful for he own many possessions. And rather than letting them go and letting his greed go to grabs hold of Christ he goes away sorrowful.

Jesus turns to his disciples and says how difficult it is for a rich man to get into heaven. This is a shocker to them because they grew up in a time when they thought that the rich people were closer to God God had given them more blessings.

Obviously the rich people will be the first in line for heaven. And there are still people on TV telling you that today. So they're shocked that the rich people can't get into heaven. And and Jesus says it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

It's easier for the largest moving thing you've ever seen with your eyes to go through the smallest opening you've ever seen with your eyes than for a rich man to get into heaven. And they say well then who can be saved.

You may imagine how frustrating this is for the disciples. We're not rich. We've left all to follow you. We've got nothing. We're impoverished and we're following you. And you're saying not even the rich can get in.

Well then who can be saved. Jesus. That's very frustrating. And Jesus looks at them and says with man it is impossible. But with God all things are possible. And that's the way we reconcile the multitude which no man can count at the end of all things.

And the remnant in the few and the how impossible it is that we read about earlier. It's the power of God. With with man it's impossible. With with man the missionary endeavors are impossible. With man getting the gospel into all the languages of all the people in all the world that's impossible.

With with man is impossible to to bring the gospel that was first revealed to the Hebrews and then through through Jewish apostles from a Jewish Messiah and trying to preach to a an ancient Gentile world.

How do we get that to the tribes of Papua New Guinea. With man it's impossible. But with God all things are possible. The glory is to God alone. So our sum is to the glory of God and our synthesis is to the glory of God.

For notice who's there. Notice who is there. Every every nation all tribes and peoples and tongues. There were representatives from every nation all tribes and peoples and tongues. John is not going through any kind of sociological classification.

He's not been trained in that. He's just listing in a fourfold manner in a complete manner that everybody you could possibly think of who has ever lived on the face of the planet. There was a representative from one of those.

It's as what God promised to Abram in Genesis 12 1 in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. A vital promise. For in the previous chapter in Genesis 11 there was only one family. There was only one family descended from Noah and they had gathered in the plains of Shinar as one humanity.

Now let me clarify. This is a real historical story not mythological. It's as real and historical as the global flood. And it's real and historical as the six days of creation. As real and historical as the special creation of Adam and Eve from dust and a rib.

And in this event with the family of the earth the humanity had gathered together as one. They had united together. For what purpose they said it more than once to make a name for ourselves. This is the height of perversity we have been made in the image of God.

We're supposed to be making a name for God. We're supposed to be manifesting his glory. It is the height of perversity for humanity to make a name for ourselves. And so they build a big tower and they say we're gonna build this city in this great tower that reaches into this to the heavens and we're gonna glorify ourselves.

And it says that God had to come down to find this tiny little tower where it is it. It's so small I can't see it. He has to come down to see it. And he judges them. He confuses their languages. And now all of a sudden instead of one family they become many families without when we don't share a common language we can't understand each other's rationality.

And we cannot agree on anyone's morality because we don't have a common language to bind us. And so there was all these divisions and separations. And then all the families of the earth scattered from this place because they had gathered together to pridefully make a name for themselves.

And yet in our text we find the reversal of a punishment the reversal of judgment. As a people are all the different kinds of tribes and tongues and peoples and nations are brought together not to glorify themselves but to glorify God what we were originally intended to do in the first place.

And it's redemption of of these different individuals from different backgrounds different ethnicities different languages are all brought together as a single people. It's a multitude not multitudes.

And so there's Jew and Gentile together as one people. There are rich and poor together as one people. There are the educated and the uneducated together as one people. There are those from the ancient Near East and those from the modern Western nations together as one people one people.

How how were they brought together. By what means you back up two chapters. Revelation chapter 5 verse 9 the praise goes to Christ. They say to the Lion of Judah who is a lamb who was slain and raised again worthy are you.

Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals. For you were slain and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people the nation. And we're not told how many that was in this text but we are in chapter 7 a multitude that no man can count.

That's how many. That's how many he purchased on the cross. And it's one people. Jesus speaking of himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10 says. The shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He says in verse 16.

I have sheep other sheep that are not of this fold but I must bring them. And they will be one one flock in one fold with one shepherd. One people not many peoples not two peoples. One people in one fold to the glory of God.

The population of the redeemed. Just this beginning part of verse 9. It's not about what we have accomplished not what success the church has had but it's about the glory of God. Notice the proclamation of the redeemed.

In verse 10 it says. They cry out with a loud voice saying salvation to God. Salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. And the angels were standing about the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.

And they fell on their faces before the throne and worship God saying amen blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power. And might be to our God forever and ever. Amen. Notice our confession if you are a believer in Christ today if you trust in him alone for your salvation this will be your confession as well as mine.

As we gather together around the throne in this great multitude we will be there together with the full innumerable multitude of the redeemed. And this will be our confession. Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

In the final estimation we will come together resurrected standing before God. And we will all say the same thing. The glory is to God alone. Salvation belongs to our God. We will not congratulate ourselves on our personal fortitude that we made good decisions or that we were wiser than most or more well-bred than most brought up better than others.

There will be no self congratulations in all of heaven. It will be praise to the glory of God alone glory to the Saving God after all it was his plan and his promise and his power and his glory to the sovereign God.

What do they say. What will we say. Salvation to our God who sits on the throne on the third. What throne. The throne that rules over all the angels over all the powerful beings in creation. Indeed the throne that rules over the four living creatures which if you read Revelation 4 symbolize the entirety of all the created order.

The throne of all thrones. The highest throne the throne with all authority we have glory to the God who rules from that throne. And look at the confirmation to this praise when the innumerable multitude of the redeemed all begin to praise God and give him all the glory for their salvation.

This sparks even more worship as the entire angelic host the heavenly choir says amen. And then they give praise. There's no redemption for angels. There's no salvation for the fallen angels. Those who have not fallen have not tasted salvation.

They don't praise God for saving them. The angelic choir however when they see the innumerable multitude of the redeemed giving glory to God and praising him it sparks their praise. And they give him a grand doxology.

And they say literally in the original amen. The blessing and the glory and the wisdom and the thanksgiving and the honor and the power and the might be to our God and ever the penultimate expression of every virtue every glory be to God forever and ever.

And they say amen. I wonder. I wonder if heaven is giving such an amen to our worship. I wonder if heaven amens our worship. The kind of worship that heaven amens is the kind that says glory to God alone.

That's the kind of worship that heaven amens they confirm it. There is continuity between the between humanity and heaven when the worship is to the glory of God alone. Now I think that we ought to recognize that this kind of worship this scene to which John the Apostle is made a witness is directly calculated to bring exhortation and encouragement to the Christians of John's own time and to the Christians of every time.

Think about what John's readers were going through. They were losing their jobs for their faith. They were their families were going hungry for their faith. They were being imprisoned for their faith and in prison.

You got no clothing or food or water. You had to be provided that by those who loved you. And those who loved you were those of the church. And they came and then they would be imprisoned. And there was a systematic persecution against the church.

The beast was devouring them. And if it wasn't the beast it was the harlot who brought false teachings to lead them astray. The harlot who brought false teachings into their church. And then they would have to stand firm about the gospel.

And there would be schisms and divisions within their own church people that they had communed with at the Lord's table together. And they would have to break fellowship because of false teaching. This is the kind of suffering and tribulation that they were going through.

And it's still the same kind of suffering in the same tribulation that Christians today all over the world are going through. But tribulation and suffering is the frame for the glory of God as his strength is made perfect in our weakness.

And tribulations cannot undo Christ's work. We see that in the end of verse 9 and in verses 13 through 15 I want us to back up a little bit to verse 9 to this great multitude from all over. And what are they doing.

They're standing middle of verse 9 standing before the throne and before the Lamb clothed in white robes palm branches in their hands. And they're worshiping God. They're standing. Why are they standing.

Because they are raised from the dead. They have two feet two legs to stand on. And they stand before the throne and before the Lamb giving him praise. And they've got hands which and in their hands they've got palm branches.

Why part of it. And the answer is back in chapter 6 verse 17. And the question comes for the great day of their wrath has come. And who is able to stand the wrath of God and the Lamb the day has come.

Who is able to stand. That's the question. Here's the answer. Those who are clothed in white robes those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb they will stand. They will stand before the throne.

They will not fall. They stand clothed in white robes. These robes are not the robes the kinds of clothing that you would wear to go to work. These were. These were long flowing white robes a stola. That would be something that you would wear in the presence of a great king.

For the work has been completed it is finished. But they stand there in white robes with palm branches in their hands. White palm branches because John the Apostle is a Jew and he grew up celebrating the Feast of Booths the Feast of Tabernacles.

And they were to God ordered Israel to remember their wilderness wanderings through the Feast of Booths. And so one week out of the year they would leave their houses and build for themselves temporary booths or tabernacles.

They would pitch a tent. They would cover themselves over and live outside and camp out for a week to remind themselves of their 40 years of wilderness wandering through which God preserved them through which God led them successfully.

And they would take up palm branches. It's the instructions in Leviticus. They would take up palm branches and worship God with the palm branches. And they would use them to cover over their shelters as roofs.

What is it saying. Here they have palm branch. What are they saying. We've been led safely through we've been brought to the promised land. God has been faithful throughout all of the wilderness wanderings where we were nomads and exiles strangers.

It is the preservation of the redeemed. We stand resurrected. We will stand resurrected in white robes with palm branches in our hands preserved through the wilderness of of the now. We have been brought into the promises of the not yet.

And we are righteous by the blood of the Lamb. The one of the elders verse 13 says these who are clothed in the white robes. Who are they where they come from. We're not left to guess. The elder wants John to know for sure.

He said to him my lord you know he said to me these are the ones who come out of the great tribulation. And they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They have been preserved even through great tribulation.

And what do they wear. They wear robes that are white meaning clean consecrated holy perfect. And how have they been made white. Surprisingly through blood the blood of the Lamb. We will stand preserved to the uttermost resurrected by Christ righteous in Christ and notice our service.

Verse 15. For this reason they are before the throne of God and they serve him day and night in his temple. You see there's an additional picture here when the blood is sprinkled on the white robes. It comes from Leviticus 8 that the priests who serve in the temple would have the blood of a sacrifice sprinkled on their white robes signifying their consecration.

They're being set apart unto God. And and we've already been told in Revelation 5 that those whom Christ purchased with his blood have been made into a priesthood. We've all been made priests by his blood.

We've all been consecrated unto God for his service. And so we all will serve. But notice for what reason. Verse 15. For what reason. For this reason. What reason that we've been washed in the blood of the Lamb.

For that reason and that reason alone will we serve God in his temple forever and ever. I thought the end of Revelation said there was no more temple. Good call way to notice that because at the end of all things all was made sacred all was made holy.

Heaven and earth were told in Revelation become one and all his temple and all his new creation. And we're still serving God in his direct presence. We'll start serving God as we would serve him in a temple.

For this reason finally God is glorified alone not only in our population and our proclamation and our preservation but also in our portion. In our portion. Verse 15 in the middle there it says. He who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them.

In verse 16 the end verse 16 says. The Sun will not beat down on them nor any heat. It sounds like the wilderness. Right. It sounds like Exodus sounds like Leviticus and Numbers and Deuteronomy when the children of Israel were in the wilderness.

And there was a tabernacle who was allowed in the tabernacle. Only the the Levites and only a few of those and only a few were allowed in the holy place. Only one the high priest was allowed in the Holy of Holies.

And only once per year here says God cast his tabernacle over the whole of the redeemed. And we're not just in the tabernacle in the holy place. We're in the Holy of Holies with God made absolutely acceptable to him and welcome to him because of Christ and forever fellowship with God.

He's our shelter. The tabernacle shelters us covers us brings us into unbreakable communion with him forever and no more Sun or heat beating down on us no more effects of the curse. Like the cloud by day in the wilderness gave shade to the people as they traveled.

So God will cover us and shade us and and provide for us. Look at this but think of the tangible hope of a resurrection. Here we are raised and we can feel heat and see light. We know what it is to thirst and to hunger.

But we will never thirst or hunger again for God will satisfy us. Verse 16 they will hunger no longer nor thirst anymore. Verse 17 says that the lamb will guide us to the springs of the water of life.

There is this promise that all that which we know here and now the unsatisfaction the constant craving for something else. And there doesn't ever seem to be a continuous moment or a whole year that we can get through without thinking.

Something's got to change. Something's not right. All of that will be utterly gone because we will be brought to our greatest good who is God. And we and you know and we will never know that same anxious gotta change everything feeling.

We will be centered on God and we will be utterly satisfied in him. And we will grow in our desire for him and want more of him. And there will be more of him. And we will go further in and further up into all that God has for us.

Never be an end to the satisfaction that we enjoy in God. He not only is our shelter and our satisfaction he's also our solace. He is our comfort. God will wipe every tear from their eyes it says at the end.

Now John has been quoting Isaiah 49 10. But he also quotes Isaiah 25 8. At this point when it says that God will wipe every tear from our eyes it doesn't mean he's just gonna dry our eyes. He's going to wipe out remove from our eyes all the tears meaning there will be no more tears left to cry.

I'm looking forward to that day. I'm looking forward to that day when we will have such a comfort such a solace that all of our tears will be removed. But I want you to see that we're not pitching tents for each other.

We're not offering food to each other. We're not leading each other to the water. We are not dabbing each other's eyes. It is the shepherd. The lamb in the center of the throne will be our shepherd. It is our shepherd who is doing this for us.