0:00 It really is amazing to think that you and I, for the past few months and hopefully in the months to come, are looking at a book that predicts the future. Just think about that. We're looking at God's claims and his predictions and his foreshadowings of what is yet to come. That that thought alone is mind boggling, and we will continue to do that today as we come now to the book of Revelation and open up chapter 14. Please meet me there in Revelation chapter 14.
0:37 We have spent three Sundays in chapter 13 alone. And if you've been with us, then I'm sure that you would agree that what is presented in that chapter is quite weighty and sobering in terms of prophecy. And if we're not careful, we can easily allow the truths in it to instill distress and angst as we consider the condition of the world as it approaches its end. I mean, to think that one single man will have success in deceiving the nations to become a concentration camp on a global scale is alarming. But thanks be to God that Revelation chapter 13 is not the final chapter of this book.
1:24 As we come to this new chapter, you'll realize that the very introduction is presented in a way that quickly extinguishes any fear or any kind of misconceptions that the visions presented before concerning the two beasts might have created. And the way this new chapter does that is by giving us a preview, a trailer of the reign of Christ and the triumph of the saints with him. But before we look at these things in greater detail, we have to remember that although the book of Revelation is framed chronologically, it does not follow a rigid linear sequence of events. Like many other books, especially the prophetic ones, sometimes the author led by the Holy Spirit steps in and out of the time line in order to convey a message or present a theme. So there are moments where sometimes you're reading prophetic literature and it seems like things are unfolding in order and all of a sudden in the next scene you're taken back to the past.
2:31 Or it fast forwards again to the future because there's something that you and I need to be aware of that's coming ahead in order to clarify something that we are engaging with in the moment. And that's exactly what Revelation 14 is all about. John is giving us a glimpse of Christ, his kingdom, his reign, his people, his victory in order to encourage his people today. In order to speak to us at this point, they have not yet been realized in the prophetic timeline of Revelation but he reaches ahead and brings it to this juncture in order you and I to be reminded, oh, it's not gonna end with the reign of the antichrist. He's not gonna have the final say.
3:17 He's not gonna have total and lasting victory. Let's not forget that the horrible events of Revelation chapter 13 take place within three and a half years, in that time span. Because Revelation thirteen five says that the beast will exercise authority for forty two months. But what we're gonna see now as we read these first few verses is the end of the great tribulation. We got a taste of what's gonna happen in the latter portion of it in Revelation 13, and now in these opening words, we're gonna see what's gonna take place at the consummation, at the completion, at the end.
3:59 And it will replace any dread, any concern, any fear with thrill and with hope. Let's look at the first five verses together. Then I looked and behold on Mount Zion stood the Lamb and with them a 144,000 who had his name and his father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.
4:33 And they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women for they are virgins. It is these who follow the lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the lamb.
4:59 And in their mouth, no lie was found for they are blameless. Let's pray together. Lord, we can feel the force of these verses just by reading them, but we pray for greater power as we understand it through explanation and proclamation. We pray, Lord, that we would become like this group that we're about to read about who followed wherever the lamb went. We wanna follow wherever the lamb goes.
5:31 And we pray that you would use this message to inspire us to live with that ultimate ambition. We pray these things in the name of the lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. So if you remember, one of the outcomes that are difficult to come to terms with regarding the global reign of the antichrist is that he will be allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. That's what we find in verse seven of Revelation 13.
6:00 And we're left to question then, to what extent will the Antichrist have domination over the people of God? And what this chapter shows us is that as impressive as the Antichrist empire might be, he will not have complete victory. He will not be able to totally annihilate Christian witness, the light of the gospel in that dark hour of human history, the darkest hour. And one way that this is demonstrated is by the Holy Spirit reintroducing to us the 144,000. We remember them.
6:36 Right? We learn about them back in chapter seven. They describe a select group of Jewish believers who were saved early in the tribulation period. And because they were saved early, God took steps in order to safeguard them from the troubles and the judgments that would come ahead because they would be set apart to serve a particular purpose on the earth, very likely to be a witness to the rest of the nation of Israel and to the world. Go to chapter seven and let's see what God did for this group of people in order to protect them ahead.
7:18 Revelation chapter seven verse two and three. John says, then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun with the seal of the living God and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea saying, do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. Then he goes on to describe the 144,000, 12,000 from distinct tribes of Israel. Now whatever the seal was, whatever the seal will be, we know for certain that it is meant to shield this group of people. That they would be untouched specifically by the judgments of God that would be unleashed from this point forward.
8:06 And this tells us something significant. Because we read about them in chapter seven, they reappear in chapter 14, and what do we discover about the 144,000? If chapter seven was about them early in the tribulation, being saved, being sealed so that they would be protected, now we come to chapter 14 and we're looking at the end of the tribulation, what do we discover? Not one of them was lost. Not one.
8:35 With all the tribulation, with all the tragedies, with all the trauma, God did not lose a single one of them. It doesn't say that there were a 139,999 standing on Mount Zion. A 144,000. You know what that tells me? Whomever God seals, he secures.
8:51 That's what that tells me. And if you think, well, this has to be some special privilege for this distinct group of people in the future, you're dead wrong. May I remind you of the promise in Ephesians one? You know this very well. Just sit back and hear it again because it's your inheritance.
9:08 Ephesians one verse 13 to 14. In him... Oh, Paul loves to use that. In him. He wants to talk about what it's like to be in Christ.
9:19 Listen to what he says at this point. In him, you also when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in him... So pause. If you heard the pure gospel and if you believed in him and believed in that message, this is your inheritance. What is it?
9:37 We're sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Do I feel the seal? Whether you feel it or not doesn't matter, it's by faith. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit to what end? Verse 14, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.
9:53 You know what that word means? Down payment. Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory. On my way here or earlier this morning rather, my mind went to the words of Jesus in John chapter six when he defined what the will of God was for him and his mission. Listen to John six verse 39, and this is the will of him who sent me.
10:20 Let me ask you this. If you were to explain to somebody, hey, what's... What was the will of God the father for Jesus Christ his son as he came to the earth? What would you say? To die on the cross for our sins?
10:32 Surely, that's the safest answer. That's the most glorious answer. But it's more than that. He goes on to say that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. You understand this?
10:48 Christ didn't just come to save us, he came to secure us. Which means if you are his, you will be raised on the last day. He won't overlook any single one of us. He won't forget any one of us. He has you and your name in mind up to that final moment when all things will be made new including yourself.
11:13 He will not lose one. He did not lose one. And if it was true for them, surely it is true for us. Now with many parts... Like with many parts of the book of Revelation, there is some debate about the verses that we read primarily with the location of the vision that John is experiencing.
11:30 Before we read about the lamb and the 144,000, he mentions how they stood on Mount Zion. Now many believe that John here is seeing a vision of heaven. And they equate Mount Zion here with what you read in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 22, where Mount Zion is a reference for heaven, a component of the spiritual heavenly realm. So they make that automatic connection. But there are two reasons why Mount Zion can't mean heaven in this instance.
12:07 Number one, if this scene was in heaven then that would imply that the 144,000 died and went there. But then that would put into question the seal that they received back in chapter seven and it might even call into question God's protective power. Moreover, look at the language in the beginning here of verse two where John says, and I heard a voice from heaven. Again, this suggests that he's not in heaven in this vision, he's on the earth and he's hearing something from above. He's hearing something in a parallel world.
12:42 It's from heaven. He's not in heaven. So if Mount Zion here does not speak about the dwelling place of God above, then what does it refer to? And if you were there yesterday, then you're gonna hear it again. This is where the old testament helps us illustrate and understand passages in the new.
12:59 Over and over again, the prophets of old, when proclaiming what Messiah would accomplish, the savior, the anointed one, frequently what is brought up is that part of his victorious arrival is that he will rule and reign from physical Jerusalem. That he will establish his headquarters on where? Mount Zion. So listen to these words. I'm gonna just quote three passages.
13:24 There are many, but listen to these notable ones. I mean, how can you miss Psalm chapter two verse six. As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. Isaiah twenty four twenty one and twenty three. On that day, the Lord will punish the host of heaven...
13:47 In heaven, and the kings of the earth on the earth. They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit. They will be shut up in a prison. And after many days, they shall or they will be punished. Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.
14:15 If it wasn't clear, listen to the words of Micah. Micah chapter four verse six to seven. In that day... Notice they're speaking about the day to come. In that day, declares the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted, and the lame I will make the remnant, and those who are cast off a strong nation and the Lord will reign over them where?
14:41 In Mount Zion. From this time forth and forevermore. Is there any wonder why there's so much contention around that piece of real estate even now? You think this is political. We're spiritual people and the bible tells us that there is good and evil, the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light.
15:02 There's a spiritual battle going on and we see it here. Jesus Christ, the risen savior has his eyes on Jerusalem because he's gonna rule from there whether you like it or not. He will. And what John is seeing here is a fast forwarded vision. He is seeing a preview again of how Christ will fulfill those very prophecies.
15:24 What do we learn from this? John is completely consistent with the Old Testament. He's in concert with these prophecies and he's giving us a preview of the same truth. And the reason it's mentioned at this point is to remind us again that the empire of the Antichrist will not endure. It will be overthrown.
15:44 There will come a time when Christ descends and put an end to all these things and he will establish his millennial reign for a thousand years. But the sight of the millennial reign is not the only thing that captivates John. He goes from seeing the lamb with the 144,000 standing with him on Mount Zion to a sound. He hears something. And what is it that he hears?
16:07 Well, look again at verse two and three. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. So as he has this vision that's so clear and so consistent with the Old Testament especially, the next thing that catches his attention is this swelling sound from heaven. There is this overflowing praise from above that spilling onto the earth because now heaven and earth is seeing Christ ruling and reigning.
16:49 Now the manifestation of his kingdom has arrived and all of heaven rejoices because of it. And it makes you wonder whether in the millennial reign, at the end of the tribulation when Christ does descend and rule for that period of time, if there will be some kind of awareness or special connection between heaven and earth. It's one thing to just think about, I think. And as tempting as it is to explore that further, there is something else that really stands out in this passage. Not only that John hears this song, but he realizes that there is a select group who alone can learn it and sing it with them.
17:28 So it's not this corporate thing where everybody is involved. Yes, all of heaven is rejoicing but on earth there's only one group who participates. Look again at the last part of verse three, no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. You know at face value your first reaction might be that's not fair. Why am I restricted from learning this melody and learning these lyrics?
17:59 And I think we have the answer at the very last part of the last statement there in verse three. Look at it again, who had been redeemed from the earth. Now again at first, that may be a description that includes anybody who's been saved by Christ. Right? I've been redeemed from the earth.
18:19 I'm delivered. I'm no longer a part of this world and its system. So so isn't this for me as well? Well, the meaning of that phrase according to the context is not exactly that. More accurately, this is a more specific redemption that John is conveying.
18:38 Again, it's the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth, meaning that what John is describing is the preservation and the ultimate deliverance of this group during the great tribulation. It's their own unique deliverance, their own unique salvation. Not the salvation that we can partake in, but a salvation from the horrors and the terrors of the tribulation period. In other words, the privilege of this participation is the outcome of the testimony of the 144,000 who endured much during that period of time as God's faithful servants. And so they are singing in great part from their experience.
19:20 And that's why they alone can sing it. Now it's making a little bit more sense. And the lesson from this, when that is unlocked, is so moving and I really do pray that it blesses you as it blessed me. All the pain, all the suffering, all the anguish, all the loss, all the betrayal, all the doubt, all the fear, all the loss that you and I encounter in this life, especially those that we believe to be uniquely ours, like nobody else is going through what I'm going through. Nobody knows the feelings that I'm feeling.
19:59 You know what I get from this verse? All of that will one day become something you sing about. That's what we see here. Yet, you have to understand, they were sealed but they weren't completely sheltered from all the nightmarish realities of the tribulation period. There's some debate to what extent they were sealed from.
20:23 I'm not gonna get into that, But what is clear here is that they are singing on the other side of their sorrow. They are singing from the place of being totally redeemed and realizing that God was faithful to us in these past years of the most scrutinizing and horrible moments of human history. Now, the Bible does teach us that there are songs that we can and should sing in the midst of our tribulation. Right? You see with Paul and Silas where they're shackled in the jail in Philippi and they're singing hymns.
21:00 But the Bible also does teach us that there's a song that awaits us on the other side of suffering. That there are special lyrics and a special tune when all things are said and done. And in this case, the 144,000 have their own song, but oh, surely we will be able to to rejoice when every kind of suffering imaginable is subdued by the lamb. And you and I for endless days will be outside of its reach. If you are heavy laden today, if you are hanging by a thread, if you're in Christ, one day you'll sing about it.
21:45 Let's continue to read here what we find in Revelation 14. In verse four, it says, it is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. So again, all of this is meant to encourage the reader just coming out of Revelation chapter 13.
22:10 Christ will defeat the antichrist. Every sorrow and sin will be placed with a heavenly song. And no matter how much evil seems to gain control of this world, Christ will stand on Mount Zion. And so it's looking ahead and yet, before we move on to the next section, which we won't touch on today, something special is added. We go from seeing the 144,000, not one is lost and every single one of them are singing on Mount Zion with the lamb, but then we receive a description of their character and their convictions.
22:51 Three times, John says, it is these, it is these, it is these. He wants us to know something about them even before we see them on Mount Zion, triumphant. Why is he doing that? I believe in great part to show us that there was a measure of victory that was displayed even during the great tribulation. That although Christians were hunted and they were killed and they were massacred, John wants to let us know that this 144,000 lived a certain way during that time and that demonstrated a level of victory.
23:29 And here's here's what this means for us. These details, if we look at them carefully, teaches us something about how you and I can overcome the spirit of the antichrist today. I firmly believe that. Because again, we have to be reminded of this. We're looking ahead, but the spirit of this wicked tyrant, the bible tells us is still in operation.
23:50 It always has been since the days of Christ. Manipulating and perverting and influencing and infiltrating And this is will be the climax where that spirit now takes flesh and blood and does what it wants for a period of time. So I'm looking at these verses of what the 144,000 were like. These were, these were, these were, these are, And I think to myself, okay, I'm sure that there is something here for me to be able to display some level of victory with all the garbage that's around us today. There are three things that stand out.
24:25 Three things that we have to consider. The first thing that's highlighted is their sexual purity. Do you and I wanna overcome the spirit of the Antichrist? All the temptation and filth that he projects and pollutes with? Well, I see how the 144,000 were able to.
24:43 It says here in verse four that it is these who have been... Who have not been defiled or have not defiled themselves with women for they are virgins. You know, when we think about the tribulation period, most people limit the darkness of that time to the disasters that will break out, to the wars that will cause calamity and devastation. But you and I also have to remember that with every kind of upheaval in that generation, there will be new levels of darkness in terms of sin, in terms of temptation, in terms of perversion. Think about it.
25:18 You have the antichrist ruling and reigning? Don't make the mistake in thinking that people will be so preoccupied with their daily survival that they're gonna stop sinning or sin less. In case you don't believe me, scroll back to Revelation nine and be reminded of some of the things that will take place in the most turbulent moments that we have ever known. Revelation nine verse 21, the Lord makes this remark, nor do they repent of their murders. People are gonna be murdering during this time or their sorceries.
25:49 There's there's gonna be people practicing witchcraft during this time or their sexual immorality or their thefts. It shouldn't be too difficult to grasp that there will be new levels of indecency and lewdness that will be practiced and promoted in these final years. But even with this heightened temptation and allurements and lust, apparently the 144,000 will not defile themselves. And probably the most difficult place to remain pure and that's our sexuality. That's John's evidences in verse four.
26:32 Now there's debate about this. Is this talking about a spiritual purity, a spiritual virginity? The reason why there's debate about that is because it seems as though John is condemning sexual relations even within the confines of marriage. Right? Because he says that they didn't defile themselves with women, which might be a clue that this 144,000 are predominantly men.
26:49 Again, that's debated. No, it's really more spiritual. Okay. Let's go let's go with the more literal here and see how it's possible. And that they are virgins, so more than just men, perhaps they they don't ever get married.
27:03 So in order to avoid, perhaps a condemnation towards marriage itself, people like to say that this is more about a spiritual purity and spiritual chastity. But hold on, there are many ways that that can be defined and is it totally unrealistic for these individuals to actually be virgins without it condemning marriage? Again, marriage is not in view here. What's in view here is that these specific people did not corrupt themselves sexually. And the Bible even shows us in different places how in distressing times especially, we have to prioritize our values and our pursuits as the people of God.
27:49 Let me give you one example. You've probably heard teachings about marriage and relationships from first Corinthians seven. I've said this before, it's worth repeating. You have to be extremely careful how you apply first Corinthians seven. Why?
28:02 Because it hinges upon and it orbits around one contextual point. The Corinthian church was going through something when Paul was giving those instructions. Listen to what he says in first Corinthians seven verse 26. I think that in view of the present distress, it is good for a person to remain as he is. Verse 27.
28:25 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. You know how that can be misapplied?
28:35 So all these surrounding verses and you're teaching on marriage and then you come to this point and say, don't seek a wife. If you can stay single, that's the most the most spiritual thing you can do. Hold on. Read verse 26. In light of the present distress, whatever the Corinthians were experiencing, most believe it was intense persecution.
28:55 What Paul is saying is, hey, maybe this is not the best time to look for a wife and plan a wedding. Your life is in danger. You might have to relocate as a as a church. You might have to hide for some time. Do you remember what Jesus said when he pronounced woes concerning the tribulation and the great tribulation period?
29:15 How difficult it will be for families and nursing mothers? Let me remind you in Matthew twenty four nineteen, and alas, the Lord says, and alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days. So it's not so strange as a concept then to read about this 144,000 who chose recognizing that they were the first fruits of God's work among the nation of Israel to say, you know, we understand that we are in the final moments, let's remain unmarried. And in their unmarried state, they did not defile themselves with women. Here's what moved me.
30:00 If a 144,000, more likely men, we can debate, let's just say men for now, were able to remain undefiled in the most corrupt era of human history. Can't you and I remain pure today? If it was possible... Well, they seem a little bit like more like super Christians. Really?
30:27 Are they less human than you? They might have a unique seal, aren't we sealed? Is the bible being poetic about purity or is it possible? That's what I wanna know. And here's what I've discovered, it's possible.
30:41 Because the bible says it's possible. And here's an illustration of it. There was a group in the final moments of human history who were able to remain focused, strong, worshipful in their sexuality. And we'll get more to that in a moment but we have to look here to the second thing that stands out about how they were able to demonstrate victory even while it seemed like the Antichrist had victory. It's their unreserved devotion.
31:07 We looked at their sexual purity but look now to their unreserved devotion. In the middle there of verse four we read, it is these who follow the lamb wherever he goes. Oh. I wanna frame that statement somewhere. What a remarkable thing to say about anybody.
31:28 You have to remember, this is a summary of the devotion in the tribulation period. And most of the world at the latter portion of that period will be following the Antichrist. We'll be eating up all his deception. We'll be betraying all truth. We'll be worshiping a man.
31:44 We'll be living in their sin. We'll be doing all these heinous things. And while most of the world is headed in one direction, this group, according to this verse, are following the lamb wherever he goes. Wherever the lamb says you go, they went. Whatever the lamb said you're gonna do, they did.
32:04 It was a complete commitment to the cause of Christ when literally everything around you, there was not one nation you can escape to. There was no refuge. There was no hint here of an America like we know it today. According to bible prophecy, all nations will be under a spell and there will be nowhere to hide. But this group, they're marching to a different drummer.
32:33 And the fact that Christ is referred to your tier two year as a lamb, of all things, a lamb, implies that it is his humility, it is his sacrifice, it is his innocence that's being imitated by this group. Doesn't this make you wanna pray something? It made me wanna pray something. Lord, I... And I mean this sincerely.
32:52 I would love for it to be said of me that he followed the lamb wherever he goes. So counter cultural that everybody's being swept up with this trend and they're believing these ideas and they're falling for this frenzy. But that man, he has the lamb before him at all times. Make that your prayer. Lord, wherever you go, I wanna go.
33:19 However you lead, I will follow. Whatever you want me to do, I will do it. On a side note, did you notice how in that same statement says here that they've been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the lamb? Now again, there are those who prefer spiritualizing passages like this and one of the things that they like to do with a 144,000 is that this is a symbolic number which identifies the totality of God's people. And there are many reasons why that can't be the case and one of them is what we find here.
33:52 If they are speaking about the sum of the redeemed, why are they mentioned as the first fruits at this juncture? That's a strange way of speaking about the totality of something. And again, if we just honor the literal interpretation of these verses, then we understand that this 144,000 are Jewish believers and they were saved early in the tribulation as a form of pledge, as the first fruits that's predicting a greater harvest to come in which God will reap according to Romans 11, all Israel will be saved. So what we find here with this 140,000 is the beginnings. It's the budding of a greater promise to come.
34:41 And so even in this, we have yet another layer of encouragement that what God promised centuries ago, millennials ago, what we find even in the New Testament has not been forgotten. God will save the people that he had made a covenant with with Abraham. And it's starting here. So it just... Do you see what's happening?
35:02 We're being... Having encouragement heaped upon us, heaping of these truths layered. And there's one more thing to consider about this group, it is that they are blameless in their testimony. Verse five, and in their mouth no lie was found for they are blameless. So in an age of incredible deception, in a time of propagating all these falsehoods by the Antichrist, there will be a group of truth tellers.
35:32 There will be a group that are going to refreshingly tell you what God's word says, who who will not waver with the true gospel, who will give you exactly what the Lord has laid out in his eternal word. So again, what John is doing here is describing the 144,000 to show us that there is a threat of victory in the tribulation period. Not just at the end of it. There is a great victory to come, but even during it, there was this group who didn't lie with their mouths. And if we wanna do our part to combat that evil spirit that seems to be more rampant than ever, then may we be truth tellers as well.
36:13 I have nothing to apologize for with the truth. I wanna be faithful with the truth. I wanna be faithful when I sit across a coffee table with a friend who's justifying sin and to say with love in my eyes, but this is what God's word says. I wanna say it, God forbid, should there ever come a day where there's pressure from people to conform this church to be something apart from what God had said to say, but this is what God has said. There was no lie found in their mouth and they were blameless because of it.
36:46 And if you're sitting here today yearning to reflect the purity and the devotion of this group, I wanna give you some good news. I don't think it's accidental that out of all the things that could be said of Christ, the title the lamb appears three times in this one section. The lamb. The lamb. The lamb.
37:05 Telling us many things and one of the things that encourages me for and about is that again, if I'm looking at this and I'm saying, oh, I wanna... I want that same resume, if I can use that word, that same portfolio, that same kind of summary of my life, then I must draw I must draw from the love of the lamb. I must realize the the promises and the empowerment that is available through the sacrifice of the lamb. I must have a fresh revelation of what the savior has done by becoming a man and laying his life down like a lamb, and trusting that even even in his humility, even in his innocence, even in his personal sacrifice, he will empower me to walk in it, the lamb. And in God's providence, we approach the Lord's table today to be reminded about that facet of our Messiah that he took on flesh, that he shed his blood, and he was innocently led to place a sacrifice because he loves us.
38:12 He loved us enough to lay his life down, and he loves us enough to promise to keep us until the end. Let's celebrate that together. Father, we ask that you make these truths real to us. We long to be pure. We long to be devoted without reservation.
38:50 We long to be blameless in our testimony. And we know that none of those things are available or achievable apart from the starting point of what you have done as the lamb of God. Thank you for those who have put their faith in you today. We get to taste again that you have saved us and you will secure us until the end. Receive glory from this time of rejoicing knowing that not only have you justified us forever, but that these are the same means by which you can empower us to imitate and follow the lamb.
39:29 We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Let's stand. Let's worship.
39:38 And let's prepare our hearts to eat together.
