The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Have your Bibles with you today truth. If you would Revelation chapter 19 we looking today at verses six through 10 that I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters, like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, hallelujah, the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exalt and give him the glory for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready. It was granted her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and pure. The fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints and the angel said to me write this. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, these are the true words of God that I fell down at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, you must not do that. I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy is pray. Heavenly father, we thank you for such a glorious passage as we have before us today, a passage stored field with hope and excitement and joy about what you have promised us about meeting with you and fellow shipping with you and enjoying the marriage supper of the Lamb. Father may we leave this place today.

Refreshed.

May we leave this place today with the new vision of who you are and what you would have us to do heavenly father got indirectness through this passage. May Jesus be exalted and lifted up through it. Heavenly father, we today are dealing with the sanctity of life issue, we ask heavenly father that you help each one of us that our burden might be deepened concerning the babies that are being aborted across our world, specifically in our nation.

Heavenly father, help us to realize that we have responsibility in this. We don't pray enough about it.

We don't voice our opinions as we should. Heavenly father we ask forgiveness for that she would help us, that we might be a better witness that Lord we might take a stance of the unborn got indirectness now through this passage of Scripture that she business today will give you praise for what you do for us through us and in us and it's Jesus precious and holy name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. I've been preaching through the book of Revelation for little over two years now and we have seen rebukes and warnings and threats and judgments in exhortations and admonitions and challenges. Lot of the book is written in an very strong symbolism.

Over 500 references to the Old Testament in the book of Revelation as so much of it is is very difficult to understand but in those times will I get those difficult passages.

I remind myself of what's coming and what's coming. The marriage supper of the Lamb.

Hallelujah.

Look at verse six with me again. Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, hallelujah for the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. According to ESPN the loudest crowd noise ever. The college football game took place in 2005 at Clifton Stadium death Valley. They were rock Tigers will play in the Miami hurricanes. Cindy and I were there at that game and was very closely contested game and in the in the fourth quarter they they did a root recording and registered that the decibel level and got up to hundred and 26.6 dB.

That was the highest at a football stadium college football stadium that's ever been recorded before and even since that time will they went on to go into three overtime splints and lost that game, but at least we were loud.

I said all that to say this that crowd at the football game could not begin to compete with what's taking place here in heaven as the heavenly chorus just begins to resound in praise over Jesus's great victory. The apostle John heard the voice of the great multitude at any said that it was a great voice a loud voice like the sound of roaring waters like like Niagara Falls or great peals of thunder over they so excited about the marriage supper of the Lamb for points on to share with you today. Number one the Lord Almighty reigns. Look at verse six again that I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, hallelujah for the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. In Revelation 18 when we saw Babel and destroyed. There was rejoicing that went on in heaven. Babel and is a symbol or a picture of the political, economic, and cultural world system folks most of the people in the world in which we live today are a part of that system. You and I have friends and neighbors in and assist us people that we associate with a thin and even loved ones who were very much part of this system. I'll tell you if there's any passage in the Bible they that all to motivate us to get up off our backside and share the gospel.

Is this passage right here telling us that Jesus Christ is sovereign and that the destruction of Babylon is not just a possibility. It is an absolute reality, it's going to happen.

Listener Psalm two verses one through seven. One of the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. Peter sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord holds them in derision, then he will speak to them in his wrath terrify them in his fury, saying as for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy heel I will tell of the decree. The Lord said to me you are my son, today I have begotten you. Richard Phillips in this God's plan for history, merely permitting sin, so that in the end, his son Jesus Christ would reign in grace with the people purchased by his blood. With this victory is achieved when the opposition of Satan, sin and death is conquered and put away, leaving nothing to hinder the blessed kingdom of Christ in all creation. No wonder that heaven rejoices all through history, mankind has sought to achieve the utopia of our own design.

Even today the secularist dream influences public policy and finds expression in literature and the arts, history shows, however, that with the problem of sin, unresolved the kingdoms of man's glory inevitably end up in bloodsoaked tyranny and moral chaos boats the lost world has no ability to understand our excitement about Jesus Christ.

They still consider Jesus to be nothing but just a great man and a good teacher and that's pretty much it. No, that's just a devils lie. The truth of the matter is Jesus Christ is the Almighty God. The first time that term Almighty God is using the Scripture is found in Genesis 17 verse one may read it to you.

When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to appeared to Abram and said I am God Almighty walk before me and be blameless. That term God Almighty in the Hebrew is L Shaddai comes from a root word shed that word shed means a nursing mother's breast abreast.

It is overflowing with life-giving milk.

What we be told, here's this this God that we serve is the God who is more than enough P is the God who is able to provide for his children to protect his children to watch over his children. He is a God that cannot change the is a God that cannot be stopped. He is a God, and there is none like him .2. The marriage supper of the Lamb. Verses seven through eight. Let us rejoice and exalt and give him the glory for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride is made herself ready. It was granted her to close herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints throughout the Bible. Salvation is presented as a relationship between God and his people in Hosea chapter 2 verse 9 to 10. The Scripture says, and I will betroth you to me for ever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and injustice and steadfast love and mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness and you shall know the Lord in the New Testament, Ephesians chapter 5 verses 25 and in verse 31.

Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound and I'm saying that it refers to Christ and the church. A wonderful picture of Jesus Christ and his relationship to the churches failed in the book of Ruth. Ruth was married to Naomi's son Naomi and is there her son to come into the Moab and they were they are and Ruth met Naomi Sunday her and she married him and then that son died. Now Naomi was a Hebrew and Naomi decided to move back to Bethlehem when she moved back to Bethlehem. Ruth said I'm going with you. I'm going with you. It was there that Ruth met Boaz Boaz was a godly man and a kinsman redeemer, and win-win.

Ruth met Boaz she had nothing with which to bring him.

She had no name, no heritage, no wealth and she had no honor, and her mother and her mother-in-law, Naomi said to her, and just really encouraged her when you approach Boaz approached him in faith. And so she did.

She approached him in faith and Boaz did not exploit that. Instead, he took his garment any covered over her site and her I will protect you. I will provide for you and I will redeem you. P did redeem her to pay the price for her and then after redeeming her and married her and they spent the rest of their lives together in a joyful marriage relationship that my brothers and sisters is a picture of Jesus Christ and us, his church wedding practices in biblical times were somewhat different than they are today.

In biblical times the minute they were parents were the ones who chose the mate for their spouses and then after that there was a period of time where they were legally married. That period of time was called betroth full-time usually lasted about a year and then when the wedding was ready to get started, the, the, the why the bride would be at her father's house. They would leave the house they would travel to the home of the new husband and when they got there they would walk in the door in the bride before this time had been preparing them for months and months she's been getting her brought bridal dress ready. The Gaon she had been working on it and when she walked in the door he saw her for that first time he took a look at her and she was dressed beautifully and she was dressed very carefully and then they would have a wedding feast and that wedding feast would often last seven days before it ended. How does this parallel the relationship that between the husband and the wife had anisette parallel in our relationship between Christ and the church. It was William Hendrickson that said this in Christ. The bride was chosen from eternity throughout the entire Old Testament dispensation. The wedding was announced. Next, the son of God assumed our flesh and blood. The betrothal took place. The price the diary was paid on Calvary and now after an interval which, in the eyes of God is but a little while the bridegroom returns and it is come the wedding of the Lamb, then we shall be with him forever.

It will be a holy blessed everlasting fellowship the fullest realization of all the promises of the gospel with a question that I'm left with is this how can how can sinners like us ever even imagine be in the holy bride of Jesus Christ a look at my own life and I think of the sins that I've committed.

I think of the wrong thoughts and the bitter feelings the harsh words, the deliberate sin and I think if anybody in the world does not deserve the grace of God.

It is me in the Old Testament story of Hosea and Gomer. Gomer betrayed her what her husband and her children and she left them and she went out to to engage herself with countless lovers. She broke her vials.

She broke her husband's heart. She made a mockery of her marriage and then she sold herself it in as a prostitute in the as a temple prostitute in the temple of bail. Then when she got sick, terribly diseased, even unattractive. She sold herself to a slaveowner who sold her in an auction and Hosea bought her back and she became his wife. Now as I look at that story. I don't need to identify myself with Hosea, I need to identify myself with Gomer, Hosea is a picture of Christ but Gomer is a picture of you and me that Hosea take Gomer back because she was good know she was anything but good. He took her back out of love and out of grace. And then she was called to faithfulness and purity. Hosea bought her back that what is that that's redemption and justification. He bought her back, but then but then she became a submissive and godly wife that sanctification brothers and sisters. That's what we see in here in verse eight we are seeing redemption and justification and we are sin also sanctification people was like a look at verse eight. Again, it was granted her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints people we can't save ourselves.

Why can't we save ourselves because were not good and in the Bible just pans that into us. The Bible teaches us over and over again. There is none good, no not one that we have all seen the come short of the glory of God at the wages of sin is death that that all of our righteousness are like filthy rags before God. So what did Jesus do Jesus went to the cross after live in a perfect and sinless life, and any fault our salvation.

He purchased our salvation with his own blood. He did this and becoming a substitute for us be in our substitutionary atonement. We see this in second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 that says for God made him Jesus, for God made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

In other words, Jesus took RCN and gave us his righteousness.

He took our misery and gave us his joy. He took our hail and gave us his heaven, the old hymn says it will the church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord. She is his new creation by water in the word from heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride with his own blood he bought her and for her life. He died right. That's justification God the father before the foundation of the world chose us to be his, and then 2000 years ago Jesus Christ came to this earth after live in a perfect and sinless life, and he died to purchase our salvation in the and in time in your lifetime.

In my lifetime.

The Holy Spirit of God do the work in us the work of regeneration or give enlightenment be open to a house that we might see truth gave us the ability to repent. They gave us storability took to believe in him and he drew us to Jesus. But if justification is real than sanctification is certain it will always happen because Jesus has called us to holiness.

Verse seven says the bride has made herself ready. That's a picture of sanctification, Richard Phillips, they had every bride works diligently to present himself herself in maximum beauty on her wedding day.

The brought exercises to fit into a slimmer dress.

She spends a small fortune on makeup, perfume and hairstyling and exhaust a small team of helpers and ensuring that she walks down the aisle as beautifully as she possibly can. This corresponds to the spiritual labor that all Christians are to exert as we prepare for the coming of Jesus and our wedding. As he takes the church to be as broad. We prepare our sales by putting sin to death and ridding ourselves of habits that are ugly and offensive to our holy God. We cultivate the inward braces of faith, hope and love to us to bless our Savior.

This is a calling that every Christian is entered into when we three faith were betrothed to Jesus Christ. Moreover, in contrast to the gaudy and alluring dress of the harlot Babylon, the bride of Christ is closed with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. The righteous deeds of the saints probably refer primarily to acts of love and mercy that we as Christians do, that these things happen pretty much reflexively and we see a need and we just met and immediately will not meet that need.

Will with this.

This is not something that we want to get pats on the backs for this is just something that is Christians that that nature of Christ in us immediately. Just wants to know.

It comes from pouring out of love from the heart of God's children.

Jesus told us in Matthew chapter 25 than the last day he would stand for his people and he would say before his people. I was I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink, I was sick and you came and visited me, I was naked and you clothed me out was in prison and you came to me and with great shock. The people of God sake. Jesus, when did we do that Jesus will say when you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it under me.

Now some may hear what I just said they are and that will succeed. See, Christians must earn their acceptance with God through good works after their self-righteousness.

No no no, these works are not the calls of our acceptance by Christ. They are the fruit of our acceptance by Christ. Verse eight we are told that the radiant dress is given is given to the to the bra it's given to us.

It's a gift. This is what Paul is talking about. Ephesians 289 for by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourself. It is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. And that imputed righteousness imputed righteousness what God does in us the fruit of imputed righteousness. What comes next. Will the next verse tells us the next verse is for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. I talked to Christians every week who act like they could care less about the second coming at they don't think about it and pray about it. I don't long for it say + + this is what Jesus was talking about when he gave us in Matthew 25 the parable of the of the 10 virgins, we read that to you very quickly, then the kingdom of heaven will be like 10 virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise for the foolish took their lamps, they took Noel with them but the wise took flask of oil with their lamps. As a bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept, but at midnight there was a cry.

Here's the bridegroom, the meeting that all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps and the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your all prior lamps are going out with the wise answered, saying, since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourself while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast and the door was shut.

Afterwards the other virgins came also send Lord Lord opened us, but the answer truly I say to you I do not know you the time to prepare your wedding dress is right now it's right now.

Now is the time to fight sin now is the time to witness.

Now is the time to love your neighbor, now's the time to love the Lord Jesus is you love other people give commissions do it now folks, don't be one of the foolish versions. The wise nail Hebrews 928 says this Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those lesson of this who are eagerly waiting for him.

John Piper says the eager expectation for Christ is simply a sign that we love him and believe in him really believe in him authentically. There is a phony faith that won't only escape from hail but has no desire for Christ that caliphate does not save it does not produce an eager expectation for Christ to come in fact, it would rather that Christ not come for as long as possible so that it can have as much of this world as possible with the faith that really holes on the Christ as Savior and Lord and treasure and hope and joy is the faith that makes us long for Christ to come and that is the face that size. I don't know if you noticed in a minute ago when Clay Brogdon was sharing about sanctity of life and sharing about abortion sharing about what's going on in our world today and all the lives that are be type taken unnecessarily and in just murder one of the things he said after that was mayor Napa Marinette. The means means Lord come quickly.

That's what or where his heart was. That's what John Piper's talking about here.

That's where all our hearts, all to be. We ought to be eagerly awaiting that moment that we see Jesus face-to-face .3 blessings now and forever. Look at verses nine and 10 and the angel said to me write the S. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, these are the true words of God. Then I fell down at his feet to worship him.

But he said to me, you must not do that. I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold of the testimony of Jesus. Worship God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Listen, if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today. This is a written invitation to you that you are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Nothing on the face of this earth can compare to that know when the Super Bowl is played. One of the teams will win and that team is invited to go to the White House and they'll go to the White House and they have the opportunity to get a congratulatory handshake from the president. All friends were not being invited here to the White House and were not going to meet Trenton or Obama or Clinton or Bush will get to meet Jesus Christ, the creator, our Savior and our Lord. We can even imagine the glory.

It's going to take place when we see him face-to-face. James Hamilton blew me away with the statement about this wedding day, he said. Never has there been a worthier bridegroom never has a man going to greater lengths humbled himself more endured more or accomplish more in the great task of winning his bride never has a wealthier father planned a bigger feast.

Never has a more powerful pledge been given than the pledge of the Holy Spirit given to this broad never has a more glorious residence been prepared as a dwelling place once the bridegroom finally takes his bride great will be the rejoicing great will be the exultation there will be no limit to the glory given to the Father through the son on that day.

The marriage supper of the Lamb is a future event.

How far in the future. Is it will were not told as a been studying the book of Revelation, get the feeling still be a whole lot sooner than it will be later so what is the purpose of John explaining to us this marriage supper of the Lamb. I think it's this to build anticipation to prompt us in our excitement of Jesus and to help us to personally prepare about three months before my dad died I took him to the barbershop and he was struggling with COPD having real problems getting air into his lungs and he was really going through trials and as we were going over there and said dad what you think and I said what what's going through your mind now. How are you dealing with all these tough trials that that the Lord is allowing you to go through and he said to me he said Doug God is using these trials in my life to make me hungry for heaven, I will never forget that meeting in verse nine, John says these are the true words of God. So we don't need to wait for the marriage supper of the Lamb before we can just break out in praise to him. Why, why shouldn't we wait, we shouldn't wait because we have a promise of salvation that seen him. And that promise is very real.

Our salvation is not up in the air. It's not tentative is not a wishful hope is a certain reality, and in John 336 Jesus said, whosoever believes in the son has life. Paul said in Ephesians 113 through 14 in him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our salvation of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory. First Peter 14352 an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you. Goodbye God's power being guarded through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time John 1028 Jesus and are given to them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shalt anyone pluck them out of my hand. Then the angel speaks to John. This angel in verse 10 we are told that that he is so powerful. He is so bright, he is so covered with majestic glory that is soon as John seizing just immediately falls at his feet. What is Angel doing angel says get up don't do that, there's only one to be worshiped and that one is not million Angel, I'm just a servant, the one to be worshiped is God and the angel says worship God for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, folks, all prophecy has this end to bring us all to the point of genuine God anointed heartfelt worship. My point for his redemption and will go back to first Peter chapter 1 verses 18 through 19.

Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. I mentioned a moment ago that Hosea and Gomer. Gomer's leaving her family and going off to involve herself with countless adulterous affairs is a picture of Israel's sin of idolatry. What was the what was the conclusion for her. What good did all that do for her. Did it make her happy.

Did it feel heard. Feel her heart with joy, absolutely not. It filled her with humiliation and degradation and she got so humiliated so sick and so disease that she sold herself to a slave map master slave master who would sale her and the slave master was a heartless man. He took her to Samaria. He put up on the auction block. He stripped her of her clothes that everybody could just see her and then he started the auction just so happen that Hosea was there that day and Hosea looked up Flaherty's always what wife and he hardly recognized her.

She she was thin and weak and emaciated. She was sick and diseased. She looked years and years older than she really was. And then the auctioneer started the auction. Hey said how much would you give for this lady somebody in the crowd said 13 shekels and Hosea jumped up 14 shekels and then the guy says other gases, 15 shekels, Hosea 6, 15 shekels and an analog lots of barley to go along with it.

Finally, the other guy realize that he was raised was. Not going to overbid this man.

This man was going to go as high as he had to go to purchase this woman and then the auctioneer looks over at José and says she's yours. Hosea walks over to the auction block. He takes the money the 15 shekels of silver that the bushels of barley and he throws it down at the at the Masters feet.

Then he else goes over to the block he looks up at his wife. She so embarrassed and so humiliated some ashamed tears rolling down her cheek. She can even look at him.

How in the world could he do this and he holds his arms up to work and says, honey. Honey come home and be my wife and she falls into his arms.

He takes a blanket he covers her up. They walked together to the carriage. He places her in the back of the carriage and he takes her home and he nurses her back to health, and he gets her strong again and he takes her back to be his wife and Hosea chapter 3 verses two and three. He says this tour you are to live with me many days you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same toward you, brothers and sisters.

That's a picture of my conversion and that's a picture of your conversion from heaven he came and sought her to be his only bride with his own blood he bought her and for her life