Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Revelation 7:9-17
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  May 12, 2019

It’s a paradox. It’s a seeming contradiction. Christ’s life is full of them. Hymn 746 in Christian Worship Supplement is called the Christus Paradox, the paradoxes of Christ. Prince and slave, peace-maker and sword-bringer, the everlasting instant. It’s mind-blowing to contemplate them. So too the picture Revealed to us today in Revelation chapter 7. How can the Lamb be the Shepherd? It doesn’t make sense, does it? There are phrases and not complimentary ones about sheep trying to lead. Like the blind leading the blind…in that same vein. How can this possibly be a good thing, a comforting thing?

If it were just an ordinary lamb, this would be a recipe for disaster. But this is no ordinary Lamb. This is the Lamb of God. This is the Lamb who was slain. This is the Lamb who was worthy to open the scroll with all of God’s promises. This is the Lamb who is seated on the throne. This is a beautiful picture of Jesus, both Lamb and Shepherd and one that rivals all as the most comforting in all of Scripture.

Last week we saw the immense comfort that we find in our slain Lamb. Comfort that is derived from knowing our enemy, Satan, and what victory over Satan looks like. That was in chapter 5. In chapter 6, John sees the Lamb beginning to open the scroll, one seal at a time. And it’s not a pretty picture. There’s destruction. There’s persecution. There’s hardship. There’s tribulation. In fact, we see a picture of the Great Tribulation. It’s the Last Days in all their horror.

But then we get to chapter 7. And John gets to see the Church. He sees the Church on earth, on an earth destined for destruction. He see the Church, pictured as 144,000, receiving a seal of protection. Nothing will harm God’s Church. No one can snatch her out of his hand. And then John’s vision shifts. And that’s where we pick up today. “After these things I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. They called out with a loud voice and said: Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb. All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures. They fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying: Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.

The scene has shifted from earth to heaven. The picture of the Church has gone from 144,000 to uncountable, just as God promised to Abraham about his descendants. And John is taking this all in, when suddenly he becomes part of the action. “One of the elders spoke to me and said, “These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?” And I answered him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me: These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

If you’ve ever had the privilege of sharing a law/gospel presentation, you may have had the opportunity to ask the question: Why should God let you into heaven? It’s similar to the question this elder asks John. “Where did these people come from?” Or “How did they get in here?” An answer that people often give is: I’m a good person. I’m not convicted killer. I don’t cheat on my wife. I pay my taxes. I’m a good person. In other words, they try to get into heaven based on their own works, based on what they’ve done; wearing their own clothes. Don’t we also? Don’t we look at the things that we do and expect some commendation for them? Not only are we good people, but we’re better than good people. We go to church. We send our kids to a Lutheran school. We strive to live our lives apart from the evil in the world. And while all of that may be lovely and true and in some ways commendable, the fact remains that we are still sinful. In spite of our best efforts, we can never remove the stain of our sin. We can’t get into heaven wearing our own clothes.

Jesus told Peter on the night he was betrayed, “If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.” And here we see that truth displayed. The elder says:  “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Yet another paradox: white in the blood. Yet that’s exactly what was necessary. The stain of our sins can only be made clean by blood. And not our own blood, but only the blood of the Lamb. Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, had to shed his blood to wash away our sins, to make us clean. The elder continues: “Because of this they are in front of the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again. The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat, for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

When you picture Jesus as the Good Shepherd, what picture do you have in your mind? Isn’t it the picture of Jesus with the lamb slung over his shoulders, walking through the lush green pastures? It’s a beautiful, comforting picture. But man is it sanitized. There aren’t very many places in Israel that look like that. Israel is an arid place. It’s full of cliffs and rocks and desert. Water is not easy to come by. Wild animals of many kinds were prevalent. I challenge you to picture Jesus, your Shepherding Lamb, in another way. Picture him with blood streaming down his face. Picture him with his hands spread out, defending the sheep from the attacking wolves. Picture him laying down his life, taking the roaring lion down with him to spare the sheep. That’s what our Shepherding Lamb has done! He defended us against every attack of Satan by putting his perfect life in between. He shed his blood and died and in so doing took down the lion looking to devour us. He washed us clean with his blood by applying his death to our account in the waters of baptism. And it’s because of this that John sees the perfect bliss of heaven.

“Because of this they are in front of the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again. The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat, for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” If you break it down, it’s ten statements that describe the perfect bliss of heaven. It’s the complete picture. A complete release from evil and sin. A complete fullness of joy. Everything that assailed the Church in the Great Tribulation is removed. Hunger and thirst are gone. The sun and scorching heat are no match for the protection of the tent. Everything that caused tears of sadness or grief or pain to flow has been removed. And this is the truth for every believer as they come out of the great tribulation. This is the reality we celebrate at every Christian funeral.

But what about the here and now? Certainly these words call to mind what David tells us about our Good Shepherd in Psalm 23. What will be true for us forever in heaven, we certainly enjoy in part now. Our Shepherding Lamb has led us to the springs of living water found in his Word. He continues to guide and protect and defend us. And though we will all walk through the valley of death, our Shepherding Lamb has already walked that valley, he’s covered it in his blood. So that valley has become but the gateway to heaven where with robes washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, we will enjoy that complete and perfect bliss forever! Hold on to this picture as you endure tribulation. Keep your eyes fixed on your Shepherding Lamb. Your spot in front of the throne of God awaits! Amen