Are you ready for some good news?

Transcription

1 We thank You that Your love never, ever, ever runs out; that Your steadfast love is from everlasting to everlasting; that it is so wide, and deep, and high, and long, and that it has no end. As we come to Your Word today, Father, we ask that You would fill us with your illuminating presence. We ask that Your Holy Spirit, Who was moving across the face of the darkness and the deep when You spoke the original words, Let there be light, would be here to illumine us today, to make Your Word to us living and vital. We ask that You give us eyes in our hearts to see the risen Jesus. If we see Him, we will be changed. We will not need a technique, we will not need a program, we will not need a formula, if we see Him. May we see Jesus. Thank you for the opportunity, Lord, to be a mouthpiece. I pray that all of our attention would be upon the glorified Lamb of God. In Jesus name we pray, amen. Y ou may be facing difficulties in your life, even persecution, that may cause you to wonder, Where is Jesus in all this? You may have tried the way of grace and said, I don t know if this is working. You may have resorted to the old motivations of shame, law, and condemnation. But there is good news today. Are you ready for some good news? In Heaven there is a throne, and on that throne is a Sovereign over all the cosmos. When you think of a sovereign ruler, it might conjure up images of might, of a great warrior, or of a judge, but we will see today a startling image of the One Who is on that throne, for on that throne is a Lamb, the Lamb of God. He is full of grace, and grace has triumphed. T his week, I talked with my good friend, Ray Cobb. Ray was my prayer partner for years and years while I was in Durham, and I hadn t seen him or talked with him in a long time. Our conversation brought back memories, and one was of a story about his daughter, Lindsey, when she was maybe four years old. The family had gone to see a musical called Worthy Is The Lamb, which was being performed in the beautiful outdoor amphitheater at the Emerald Coast. About fifteen minutes into the musical, little Lindsey turned to her parents and said, Where is Worthy? And they had to explain to her that Worthy was not the name of the lamb, but a word which describes the nature of Jesus. That was a bit complicated for a four year old, yet it is so simple in all of its beauty: the Lamb of God is worthy, and He is at the center of the control of all things. TODAY we will be reading in the book of Revelation, beginning with chapter five, to learn something important about Who Jesus really is as He reigns now and ultimately to point you to why you can be assured that God s grace is sufficient for you. Part 11 May 25, 2012 Pastor Alan Wright Alan D. Wright All rights reserved

2 I heard around the throne the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! REVELATION CHAPTER FIVE 1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! WORTHY IS THE LAMB! WHAT A VISION! To see into the heavens; to see this vivid dream-like picture of the throne room of God; and to see, there in the midst of it... a lamb? This picture is so beautiful, and wonderful, and ironic, and majestic and unbelievable. Where do you expect to see a lamb? You expect to see a lamb on an altar, or maybe in a field being guided by a shepherd, because lambs are a symbol of one of the weakest and most vulnerable of creatures, and they are a symbol of that which is sacrificed. I once heard someone say that the greatest proof that survival of the fittest can t be entirely true is that sheep still roam the earth. They are powerless, the picture of what seems to be the most powerless, yet in John s vision, the Lamb is at the center of the power of the cosmos! Alan D. Wright All rights reserved. 2 March 25, 2012

3 THE QUESTION: WHERE IS GOD S PROVISION? Abraham and Isaac The question, Where is the lamb? came up when I was preaching on Abraham and Isaac. The Lord asked Abraham to take Isaac, his only son, your only son whom you love, and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah. Abraham went. He took his son, he took the fire; he took the wood; he took the knife. And when they arrived on the mount, Isaac said, Father, I see the fire. I see the wood, but, where is the lamb? I love that question! Where is God s provision in this situation? Where is the gift of God? Where is the provision of God, giving me what I can t give myself? Where is the sacrifice? Either I must make a sacrifice or one must be made for me... Where is the lamb? In the midst of the predicaments of your own life, I encourage you to tune your heart and your spiritual eyes towards the question: Where is the mercy of God in the midst of this? And Abraham spoke a promise that was far more prophetic than he could have ever understood cognitively. He said, God Himself will provide the lamb, and shortly there was a ram that was rustling in the thicket. And Abraham took that innocent animal, instead of his son, Isaac, and sacrificed the ram according to God s instructions. 1 THE QUESTION SURELY was in the heart of humanity from the beginning: In Genesis When Adam and Eve were so covered in shame they didn t know how to even begin to feel clean again, they were scared, and they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Somewhere in their hearts, in their shame, they were asking, Where is the grace of God now that we ve sinned? Where is the Lamb? 1 Genesis 22:1-19 And in the midst of such musings, God Himself killed an innocent animal I imagine it to be a lamb, but we don t know. He shed the blood of that animal for Adam and Eve, and He made clothing of its skin to cover their shame. Where is the lamb? The Lamb was there, innocently slaughtered by God for the creatures that were made in His own image. Were they naked? No, they were covered by the Lamb. In Exodus In the midst of the predicaments of your own life, I encourage you to tune your heart and your spiritual eyes towards the question: Slavery After Joseph, and after a Pharaoh who remembered Joseph no more, the people of God became enslaved, 2 and they cried out to God. God heard the cry of His people. He heard the cry of the poor; He heard the cry of the oppressed; 3 and He sent a deliverer, Moses. 4 And at the heartbeat of the people was this cry: Where is the grace of God for us now in our slavery? The Passover Exodus 12 God said to Moses, Here is what you are to tell the people to do. You are to take an unblemished lamb, bring it into your home, and according to my specifications, slaughter the lamb. On Passover night, place the blood of that lamb over the doorpost, and when the destroyer enters Egypt and 2 Exodus 1 3 Exodus 2:23-25; 3: Exodus 3 Where is the mercy of God in the midst of this? Alan D. Wright All rights reserved. 3 March 25, 2012

4 moves through every village, hamlet and alleyway, wherever the blood is, your homes will be spared. On that Passover night, as the destroyer moved through Egypt in a darkness that was darker than black, the people of Egypt were wailing, and the Hebrew families were safe, yet possibly trembling. I can imagine there was some little Jewish boy who was wondering where was the lamb that they had been keeping in their house he thought it was a pet and he said, Daddy, Where is the lamb? And the daddy said, We had to kill the lamb. His blood is on our door, and by that blood we will be saved. Daddy, is the destroyer going to kill us? No son, we are covered by the blood of the Lamb. A Gift of Grace Exodus 12:14-20; Exodus God in his mercy inaugurated a festival for His people whereby every Passover they could offer a lamb. 6 In fact, God set up a beautiful offering of His grace to the people by giving them instructions for a tabernacle that would have an outer area, an inner holy area, and then an inmost area behind a veil that would be a Holy of Holies. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would go behind the veil to enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of an innocent animal as a sin offering. He would sprinkle that blood upon the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, where there were golden cherubim, who were seemingly watching over the mercy seat, and by that blood, the people would have their sins temporarily atoned for. After the sacrifice of the innocent animal, the high priest would confess the sins of the people and place them on the head of a second animal, a scapegoat, which would be sent out into the wilderness with the sins of the people, so God would remember their sins no more. And so every Passover, the father says at the Seder (the Passover meal): Where is the lamb? And the answer is, the lamb has died for us. The question would not go away. 5 See also, Leviticus 16 6 Exodus 12:14-20 Questions in the Silence The prophets saw into the spirit, and they spoke of the Lamb, by his wounds we are healed, 7 and, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, He was silent. 8 But there came a time between the Testaments when God seemed to be silent, and people, longing for their temple, longing for their prophets, and longing for a fresh word from God, were asking in their hearts, Where are the prophets? Where are the visionaries? Where is the leader for Israel? But most of all they were in one way or another asking, Where is the grace of God for us now? Where is the provision of God? BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD! John s Proclamation One day, a wild-looking man emerged from out of the wilderness. His name was John, and he said, I baptize with water, but there is One Who is coming Who will baptize with the Spirit and with fire, 9 One whose sandals I am not fit to tie. 10 Then one day he hollered out, Behold, the Lamb of God! 11 Contrary to Human Understanding Jesus was contrary to everything that anyone understood. He was an amazing coming together of power expressed through gentleness. The grace that was in Him would love the poor, the downcast and the sinner, yet He would grow wrathful towards anything that led people into a heavy yoke of religious bondage. Sacrificed for the Sin of the World At Passover, Jesus celebrated a meal with His disciples, 12 and on Friday, He was killed. 7 Isaiah 53:5 8 Isaiah 53:7 9 John 1:33 10 John 1:26 11 John 1:29 12 Matt 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-38 Alan D. Wright All rights reserved. 4 March 25, 2012

5 Risen from the Dead On Sunday, Jesus was raised from the dead, and many people saw Him. 13 A Promise The, before He ascended to the right hand of the Father in Heaven, Jesus told His disciples, Wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power so that you can be my witnesses. THE CHURCH IS BORN Power and Growth And oh, the Holy Spirit did come! The Holy Spirit filled those disciples, and those previous cowards became the bold witnesses that were the changing force of the world. The church had been born and it was bursting forth all across the world, as people were filled with the grace of God and the power of His Holy Spirit. The church was moving, it was living. Christ s body was here being expressed through the church. Great Persecution Yet in that first century, when the Church was exploding with growth, God s people also were persecuted. Rome increasingly began to force local principalities to worship the emperor, to say that the emperor was not only on the throne of Rome, but that he was a god, on the throne over all. Yet Christians weren t worshiping the emperor, so under different emperors they were variously persecuted. Under Domitian and under Nero there was not only severe economic persecution, but there was physical persecution, and people were being killed. So at the time of John s revelation on the Isle of Patmos, the church was suffering. Questions Questions come when God has been so real to you, but now you are suffering. Now you are being persecuted. Now you are in a difficult time. Now you are facing the problem. Now you are facing the dilemma. Now you have been left. Now you feel abandoned Corinthians 15:3-8 Questions come when God has been so real to you, but now you are suffering. Where now is the mercy of God? Where now is the grace of God? This was such a time for the church. They were crying out, Where NOW is the mercy of God? Where now is the grace of God? Some people were tempted to go back to old religious ways. Some were tempted to return to old rebellious ways; some were tempted to become Zealots and to join in a military campaign against Rome. Others questioned: Maybe there is some way other than the way of grace. Where is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world while we are being slaughtered? THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST The revelation to the Apostle John was the answer: I see the Lamb! John was one of the few who was not martyred, but he was exiled to the little Greek Isle of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. It was there on that island that he was enraptured with a vision, a glorious sight in the heavenlies, and he set forth his revelation as a proclamation: The Revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 He was saying, I know where the Lamb is! He is at the center of the throne of the cosmos! 14 Revelation 1:1 Alan D. Wright All rights reserved. 5 March 25, 2012

6 The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world; the Grace of God; the Mercy of God, is on the throne of God. Love does not end; grace does not fail; and His grace rules the universe! How much more will His grace be sufficient for you. The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world; the Grace of God; the Mercy of God, is on the throne of God. In other words, love does not end; grace does not fail; and His grace rules the universe! How much more will His grace be sufficient for you. Understanding the Scriptures Before we continue with our look inside the book of Revelation, it is very important to first understand the wonderfully diverse nature of the Scriptures. All Scripture was inspired by God, overseen by God, and attested to by many different witnesses to become the Canon, or the books of scripture that are included in our Bible. And in this one Bible are different genres of spiritually-infused literature. Narrative literature tells historical stories. Law is a revelation of how we can live abundantly. Poetry, like the Psalms, the Song of Solomon, and many of the prophecies, have in their original language a beautiful flow. They are poems, and they are like songs. Wisdom literature, like the Proverbs, includes pithy sayings about how life generally works. It helps to provide skill for living. Prophecies not only foretell the coming of Jesus, but also they forth-tell of Who He really is. Apocalyptic literature is expressed in books like Ezekiel, in portions of Daniel, and throughout the entire book of Revelation, and this genre includes standard symbols and kinds of phrases which have specific meaning and ways for us to understand them. If we are not familiar with the nature of apocalyptic literature, the book of Revelation may seem very bizarre to us. Reading it without understanding the genre of literature to which it belongs can be likened to a Martian reading an earthling newspaper. If you know nothing about bears, and you pick up a newspaper and see a headline which reads, Bear attacks hiker in mountains of North Carolina, you might at least think that a bear is something that attacks things. If you then turn to the sports page and read, Bears Maul the Lions; then you turn to the finance section and there s a headline which says it s a bear market; then you see on the editorial page a cartoon of a bear, some dollar signs, and some people who are pulling out their hair, you would just be totally confused. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! If you were to try to interpret any one of the headlines or illustrations in the same way you interpret another, you would miss the point of them all. So in other words, when you pick up your newspaper, you need to know what kind of literature you are reading in the particular section you are in. And so it is when you read your Bible. You also need to know the kind of literature you are reading in any particular section. Symbolism The book of Revelation is apocalyptic literature, and as such it includes certain standards of that genre, and one of those standards is symbolism. John s revelation is meant to be symbolic. It is like a dream in a sense, in which you see things that are vivid and they seem bizarre, but they have particular meaning; they take you beyond your normal way of thinking so that you can see outside of yourself into something that is bigger than yourself. In John s vision, numbers are symbolic. The Number Seven The number seven is always representative of completion, the kind of perfection and rest that Alan D. Wright All rights reserved. 6 March 25, 2012

7 comes when you think of the seventh day of creation, the week that is completed with seven days. Six days God created. The seventh day, He rested. Every Jewish person understood that seven is a beautiful number. The Number Six Six is one less than seven. Six is the day right before you will rest; it is the day which is never complete, never seven; and it is a symbolic number for man. And so, when you come to a place in Revelation where you see something about the number 666, and everybody is trying to solve the mystery of its literal meaning oooh, 666, what s that going to be; will it show up on a computer? Is it this, or is it that, remember that it is a symbol of one less than seven; one less than complete; one less than perfect. So if you want to understand the nature of the religious beast which is associated with the number 666, it is like saying, man, man, man; striving, striving, striving. The Number Ten Ten means complete or perfect, not in the sense that a week of seven days is complete, but like when a baby is born and you see ten fingers and ten toes and you know that is how the baby is supposed to be. It s healthy. The Number Twelve Twelve always represents the people of God. There were twelve tribes of Israel; there were twelve disciples. Multiples of Numbers Apocalyptic literature adds grandeur by adding multiples of numbers, as in ten times ten times ten times twelve times twelve, which equals 144,000. Some people, seeing the references in the book of Revelation to 144,000 people, 15 try to interpret the number without understanding the symbolism of the multiples of numbers, saying it must mean there will be only 144,000 people in Heaven. [I m telling you right now, Billy Graham alone has won more people to Jesus than that, and I ve met more Christians than that number of people myself! There will be a whole lot more than 144,000 people in Heaven.] So when we read apocalyptic literature, we need to think about it in this way. 15 Revelation 7:4, 14:1, 3, 4 WHERE IS THE LAMB? The picture of Heaven revealed in Revelation is a beautiful, majestic, ironic and wonderful picture of a Lamb the word actually is a little lamb that looks like it has been slain. If you want to know the secret power of God, look to the center of the throne, and see the little Lamb that looks like it has been slain. The image of the Lamb is mentioned twenty-nine times in the book of Revelation. Opening the Scroll REVELATION CHAPTER FIVE In this scene, John is caught up in his vision and he sees a mighty angel saying in a loud voice, 2 Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? He finds himself weeping loudly because there is no one who is able to open up the scroll. Scholars point out to us that this scroll is clearly a representation of a will and testament, as evidenced by the seven seals and the succinct description of an inheritance wrapped up in the scroll. So this becomes a symbol of all of the riches of God s mercy for His people. It is the guarantee of our inheritance in the saints. It is every good and perfect gift. It is all of the healing for the nations. It is the assurance of the provision of God the Father for His people. You can just imagine all that is rolled up in this scroll. Yet nobody can open the scroll. We can almost see one angel after the other trying to open it; one saint after the other trying to open it. Until suddenly, the voice of one of the elders says, 5...Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. So now you re waiting for the powerful act by which the scroll will be ripped open by the Lion. But instead, John sees a lamb, a little lambkin, the text says, 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. The Lamb has seven horns, seven eyes and seven spirits, but don t be misled by the number seven Alan D. Wright All rights reserved. 7 March 25, 2012

8 I am convinced with Paul that we have been qualified for our inheritance in the saints and NOTHING can disqualify us now. here. Horns represent authority, and the seven horns are a picture of full authority; the seven eyes are a picture of full illumination, He sees everything; and the seven spirits do not represent seven individuals, but rather, the one Holy Spirit, Who is fully God. We are seeing a picture of the Trinity in this throne room. The Lamb has all authority; He can see all things; He has perfect union: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 7 And he [the Lamb] went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne The right hand the hand of the Father has all of the grace you need. The little Lamb, with all the appearance of weakness, went to take the scroll after all the mightiest of angels and every saint had tried to open the scroll to no avail. And He had all the might to just open it up. Which is to say, grace and only grace opens up your inheritance in the saints. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. THERE IS A CHALLENGE when we go through difficult times and adversities. You can begin to feel that you re not blessed, that there is some reason that you re not blessed, that it must be because you, your sin, or your lack of righteousness what you have or have not done has left you less blessed, less loved. And the temptation, as it was in the first century when the people of God were suffering, is to begin to think that maybe there is something else that you need to do to open up the blessing of God to your life. The picture John received then is one for us today. Always remember: The Lamb is on the throne. He is the picture of grace. He, and He alone, opens up all the treasure of God. What makes this such wonderful news is that the full inheritance is yours. I am convinced with Paul that we have been qualified for our inheritance in the saints and NOTHING can disqualify us now. 16 Shepherding the Redeemed REVELATION CHAPTER SEVEN The first eight verses of Revelation chapter seven describe the sealing of 144,000 of God s servants, which is a symbolic picture of ALL of the redeemed and the people of God. Then in verse nine: 9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes a picture of purity with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, Who are these, clothed in white robes... and then at the end of verse fourteen,... they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. I love verse seventeen: 17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Another beautiful irony, that the One Who is leading the people like a shepherd is the Lamb! What a beautiful, mysterious, tender, strong image. First we had an image of a majestic throne, and in response to the need for somebody powerful to open up the inheritance, here came a little Lamb. Now it s an image of the Shepherd with his staff, fighting off wolves, guiding the sheep, leading them on their 16 Rom. 8; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; Eph 1:3-14; Col 1:12; 2 Timothy 1:12. Also, 1Peter 1:3-5. Alan D. Wright All rights reserved. 8 March 25, 2012

9 Follow after peace. Follow after the way of grace. Don t let your life ever be directed by the enemy s accusing voice. Too much of our life has been directed and diverted by the little nagging voices of condemnation, way. And you look and say, Who is the shepherd? And it is the Lamb! Which is to say, Beloved, grace not only opens up your inheritance, but it is grace that leads the way. LET YOUR LIFE BE LED by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Please let your life be led by His grace. Know that in your inheritance in the saints, people of God, you are given this assurance, that anyone who is a child of God will be led by the Spirit of God. Follow after peace. Follow after the way of grace. Don t let your life ever be directed by the enemy s accusing voice. Too much of our life has been directed and diverted by the little nagging voices of condemnation, and those little nagging voices of condemnation will not lead you into your destiny. The grace of God in Jesus Christ, knowing yourself fully, completely and totally forgiven and forever loved and promised a forever inheritance, this will lead you into your destiny. You will excel in this world; you will succeed in this life; not led by fear, but led by the grace of God. He has NOT given you a spirit of fear to lead you back into slavery. He has NOT given you a spirit of bondage to lead you into an old yoke. He has given you the spirit of sonship, of adoption, by which we can cry, Abba, Father. 17 Let our lives be led by the Lamb, the Grace of God. Glory to God! What a vision! What a vision John had on Patmos! Securing the Redeemed REVELATION CHAPTER FOURTEEN 1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father s name written on their foreheads. 17 Romans 8:15 The Seal Your identity, the first thing that anybody could see about who you are, is written across your forehead, the name of the Lamb. This one belongs to God. This one is forever in the family. A Symbolic Number 4 It is these... speaking of the 144,000 the symbol of the total people of God. Purity 4... who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. This is describing a picture of the redeemed people of God, who are justified and glorified by the grace of God. 18 Contrary to what some think it is about, it is not about people who have somehow remained righteous in their flesh. As we have been told in Revelation 7:14, these are those who have repeatedly had their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb. The clothing, as Paul uses the image, 19 is an expression of the inward being. Often I draw this analogy: If you see a woman in a white dress, wearing a veil with a long train behind it, you know it is a bride. The dress is a symbol of the inward nature of that person. And so, when you see this image of a robe that is pure and white, it is a symbol of utter purity, saying that the outward expression pictured in the symbol of a robe is a reflection of the nature through and through of the redeemed of God. And although in this fallen world we still stumble in our sins, we are ALL called by God, through Paul, the holy ones. 20 Even though we don t feel like it many days, we are already called the saints. 21 Our 18 Romans 3:24; 8:30 19 Romans 13:14; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 3: Thessalonians 3:13 21 Rom 1:7, 8:27, 12:13, 15:25; 1 Cor. 1:2, 6:1... Alan D. Wright All rights reserved. 9 March 25, 2012

10 robes are washed as white as snow 22 and we are pure and undefiled. We are ALL ones who have never been defiled. Assurance We are already included in the number and our names are already written in the Lamb s Book of Life. 23 The seal upon the forehead is to say that He has bought you through His shed blood and you cannot be snatched away from Him, so take comfort in your times of adversity. Do not live your life out of fear of being lost to God. He is stronger than you are. He is stronger than your wanderings. He will be with you and He will never leave you. 24 I am convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ. 25 Devotion to the Lamb It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. They are purely devoted unto Him, there is no idolatry in their lives, and they have complete integrity because their mouths are saying what is in their hearts. WHAT THIS VISION IS SHOWING us in the picture of Heaven, is that your destiny, Holy Ones, Saints of God, is to be assured that you belong to Him; that you have in Jesus Christ the blessing imputed to you that should have only belonged to Him, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, 26 given to you so that TRULY it is that you are washed as white as snow, as though you had never sinned, though you have. You sing a redemption song 27 because you were a sinner, but you have been bought with a dear, dear price, 28 and washed with precious blood. Because of this, you are made totally and fully, 100% clean and whole; totally, 100% truthful; and your life is as it should be. 22 Isaiah 1:18 23 Revelation 21:27 24 Deuteronomy 31:8; Isaiah 43:2; Hebrews 13:5 25 Romans 8: Corinthians 5:21 27 Revelation 14: Corinthians 6:20, 7:23; Revelation 1:5, 5:9 This is what we are being conformed to day by day. 29 This is our ever-increasing sanctification in this world. We are being transformed through the renewing of our minds. 30 We are understanding Who He is, who we are, and what He has done for us. And we are receiving His grace, a grace upon grace, 31 and blessing upon blessing, until one day we are sanctified completely and glorified. This is the picture of who we really are. This is our destiny. So be assured, Christians in the first century, when you are being persecuted, or, be assured, Christians today, when you are afraid that your sin has disqualified you. God says, NO! You have been washed by the blood of the Lamb, and you are His, behold, forevermore. What a vision! Celebrating His Wedding with His Bride REVELATION CHAPTER NINETEEN 6 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. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, WHY? for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. The Lamb is opening the scroll. The Lamb is shepherding the 144,000. The Lamb is at the party celebrating His wedding with the Bride! 29 Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:10 30 Romans 12:2 31 John 1:16 Alan D. Wright All rights reserved. 10 March 25, 2012

11 Married to Grace Over the years that I have been officiating weddings, I ve gotten to where I look at the groom more than I look at the bride. Here at Reynolda Church, we have this beautiful long aisle, and so it gives me time. I watch the bride, and she is beautiful. Yet when I look at the groom, it is a moment like none other. It is a moment of pure honor. I love to look at the groom. I ve seen smiles. I have seen nervousness. But in it all, what I really see is love and adoration. Men, if you ve ever loved; women, if you have ever longed to be loved in that way; you can appreciate what this image of the Church as the Bride of Christ is all about. Coming to a wedding and seeing the groom watching his bride, seeing the love, joy, adoration and rejoicing dancing in his eyes if you could see that, and you could multiply it a million times over you would still have a small picture of how Jesus feels about you. Jesus loves you SO much. You weren t fit to be His bride, so He came and died in your place so that you would be. Church, you are married, figuratively speaking, to Jesus, the Lamb. It is to say that you are married to grace. Paul said in Romans that we are widows to the law, 32 and by that he meant that grace has been wed to your life forevermore. It is the nature now of who you are, a people who have been bought by God s grace, and you will be married to Him in that grace FOREVER. What a vision! WHERE IS THE TEMPLE? REVELATION CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE 22 And I saw no temple in the city, I think John was surprised by this because you might assume that in any great city, as it was in the heart of Jerusalem, there is a temple at the center of the cultural, religious and social life of the people. And the greater the temple, the greater the meeting place with God. When God s people were exiled to Babylon, they wanted to return and to rebuild the Temple in order to have a place to meet with God. And so John was seeing in Heaven all the incredible images he has described, yet as he was looking around, he saw no 32 Romans 7:4-6 temple. There s no temple. Where is the Temple? Where is the meeting place between God and man? for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. The Lamb is the Temple, for in Jesus Christ, God became flesh. One Person, fully God, fully human. In Him, God and man met. The invitation to us now is not to a religious lifestyle of going to a physical place of worship and doing certain rituals in order to meet with God. The invitation of the Gospel is to accept what Jesus has done for you, and thereby, the Bible says, you are in Christ. 33 And if you are in Christ, you are in the Temple all the time, so much so that eventually Paul says, You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. 34 So, where is the Lamb? Where is the provision of God? Where is the grace of God? I will tell you. Whatever you re going through, whatever adversity you face, whatever relational difficulties or whatever myriad of problems that anyone under the sound of my voice might be facing, the answer to the question, is that the Lamb, the Grace of God, is on the throne of the cosmos, ruling over all things. God s grace has triumphed in Jesus Christ; God s grace has won the day. God s grace rules forevermore; and God s grace is sufficient for you and for me. 35 And THAT is the Gospel! Amen. Father, we are so thankful to You. Your grace is so wonderful to us. You are greater than we can even begin to fathom. So we ask, Lord, not just for mental assent and cognitive understanding of why this grace is so important, but for the revelation of Jesus. I pray, Lord, for a revelation of Jesus Christ for these people, my brothers, my sisters, and for those who do not yet know You as well. Let us see Jesus, our Lamb in the center of the throne, and in the center of our lives. It is in His precious name we pray, Amen. 33 Ephesians 2:4-6, Corinthians 6: Corinthians 12:9 Alan D. Wright All rights reserved. 11 March 25, 2012

12 Closing Remarks Revelation one, verse one says, The revelation of Jesus Christ, and that is what that book is about. If you discover that the One Who is ruling everything is the One Who died for you, it changes everything. It means that because grace is on the throne, you can come boldly to that throne of grace in your time of need. 36 Be confident in coming to the throne room of grace. Be led by His grace. Be responsive to what His grace is doing in you. That is the true nature of our on-going sanctification. An Invitation Maybe your eyes have been opened today to see Jesus for the first time. If so, I invite you to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior today. It would be the best day of your life. It would be the most wonderful thing you ever did. Accepting Christ isn t a religious ritual, it is a simple act of faith. You can pray something simple like this: Lord, I see Jesus. I may not see Him as completely as I will one day, but I see that He died for me and I accept His saving work on the cross for me. Forgive me, fill me with Your Spirit and show me all Your ways. I am Yours. In Jesus name, AMEN. So I send you out as a people who are aware of where the Lamb is. He is on the throne of it all! May God bless you and keep you and be kind and gracious to you and make His face to shine upon you and give you His peace today and every day forevermore. Amen. 36 Hebrews 4:16 Sharing the Light Ministries is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that offers healing and hope by sharing the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ. Visit to learn more about pastor and author Alan Wright, his books, audio products, podcasts, national radio broadcasts and conferences. Also discover how you can become a partner in sharing the light of Jesus Christ. Alan D. Wright All rights reserved