Joy in Judgment

Lead Vocalist (Joel)

Welcome & Announcements (Hopson)

Good morning family!

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Now please take a moment of silence to prepare your heart for worship.

Call to Worship (Psalm 126:1-3)

Prayer of Praise (Daphne Brewton)

Great Things

O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing

Prayer of Confession (Joel Whitcomb), Failure to worship

Assurance of Pardon (Hebrews 10:19-22)

We Too Have Overcome

The Solid Rock

Scripture Reading (Revelation 15:1-4)—page 1228 in the black Bibles

Pastoral Prayer (Hopson)

Prayer for PBC—Help us to be a church that sings joyfully

Prayer for kingdom partner—Carrollton Baptist (Lee Hess)

Prayer for US—-- Current event --

Prayer for the world—Saudi Arabia

Leader—_________

Social issue(s)—_________

Spiritual issue(s)—_________

Local churches—_________

Laborers—_________

Pray for the sermon

SERMON

START TIMER!!!

One of the happiest songs in American cinema is about someone dying.

Dorothy’s house falls out of the sky and lands on the Wicked Witch of the East. And when the Munchkins discover the witch is dead, they do not observe a moment of silence. They don’t weep. They celebrate. They dance. They sing, “Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead.”

To the Munchkins, the witch’s death means their freedom. The one who held them in bondage can no longer hurt them. So they sing.

We understand that joy. We want oppression to end. We want evil defeated. We want people who have lived in fear to finally be free.

And yet, rejoicing over judgment makes many of us uncomfortable. Should we really celebrate someone’s judgment? Can we rejoice at an enemy’s punishment without becoming cruel ourselves?

That makes our text in Revelation 15 particularly challenging.

If you zoom out and look at this chapter as a whole, it’s clear this is a passage about the wrath of God.

Look at how the chapter begins...

Revelation 15:1—Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.

With this sentence John introduces the fifth of seven cycles in the book of Revelation.

SHOW SEVEN CYCLES IMAGE

Revelation is often read as though it unfolds in one continuous chronological sequence.

I believe John instead gives us seven pictures of life between the clouds—between the ascension of Jesus in the clouds and His return in the clouds.

Think of them as seven replays covering the same span of history from different perspectives.

Here in chapters 15-16, we see the wrath of God that is brought to completion at the end.

That’s what the Apostle John means when he says “the wrath of God is finished.”

God’s wrath reaches its appointed goal. Evil is decisively judged, justice is fully accomplished, and nothing is left unresolved.

And just in case we miss it, the same idea is repeated at the end of this chapter...

Revelation 15:5–8—After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

Certainly John wants us to understand that these judgments come from God’s own holy presence, and no one can interrupt their completion.

But did you notice the repetition?

Verse 1 shows us seven angels carrying seven plagues, through which God’s wrath will be finished.

Verses 5–8 show us seven angels carrying seven plagues, through which God’s wrath will be finished.

Whenever you’re reading a passage of Scripture and you notice something like this—where an idea is repeated at the beginning and the end of a section—pay attention.

Typically when the authors of Scripture do this they’re encouraging you to focus on what’s in the middle.

The matching language at the beginning and end of the chapter functions like two bookends. And what is John holding between them? A song.

For the redeemed, even the wrath of God is a reason to sing.

That’s the Big Idea I hope to show you from Revelation 15 this morning.

But how can the people of God sing when the wrath of God is coming?

The answer is found by looking at the center of our chapter, at the song itself.

It reveals Four Reasons the Redeemed can Rejoice, even in the face of judgment:

We can rejoice because God’s wrath reveals His power, His justice, His holiness, and His mercy.

First, the Redeemed can rejoice because…

1) God’s Wrath Reveals His POWER

The Munchkins weren’t the first ones to sing when an enemy was defeated. Long before Baum imagined the land of Oz, a multitude gathered on the shores of the Red Sea—and they sang.

After generations of brutal slavery under Pharaoh, God delivered His people. He sent ten plagues to afflict the Egyptians—each displaying God’s power over the so-called gods of Egypt.

When Pharaoh finally agreed to let God’s people go, he quickly changed his mind. He gathered his army and pursued the Israelites, intending to slaughter them.

But God parted the Red Sea, allowing his people to cross on dry ground. Then, when Pharaoh’s army attempted to follow them, God brought the waters crashing down and destroyed the army that had come to destroy his people.

So the people of God sang.

And here in Revelation 15, John deliberately hearkens back to that moment. He sees the people of God standing beside another sea—and once again, they are singing.

Revelation 15:2-3a—And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! . . .”

We are living in a world filled with evil that threatens the people of God.

The beasts represent Satan’s power to persecute and persuade. It’s his power to force some and fool others.

And the mark of the beast is symbolically worn by everyone who does not worship the Lamb.

From our vantage point, it often looks like the world is winning. It looks like evil will prevail, Satan will win, and the righteous will lose.

What do you think the Israelites thought when they saw Pharoah and his armies chasing them into the parted Red Sea? Do you think they doubted? Do you think they screamed in fear? Do you think they wanted to go back to Egypt?

When we doubt the power of God we must remind ourselves of the truth: Jesus wins!

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure,

One little word shall fell him. [1]

This does not mean the beast can never hurt us. Some of these conquerors lost their lives because they belonged to Jesus. But even death cannot take away the victory Jesus has won for us.

Just as the Israelites stood beside the Red Sea and sang when God defeated their enemies, the day is coming when Christians will stand by the “sea of glass” and sing of God’s power.

We won’t be singing “We will rock you!” or “We are the champions!” or “A seven nation army couldn't hold me back.”

We won’t be singing about ourselves at all.

Verse 2 says even the instruments we play this song don’t belong to us. They’re given to us by God.

Our song isn’t about our power. It’s not about our perseverance. It’s not about our greatness. Our song is about the great and amazing deeds of God. He is the Almighty, not us!

Christian, if we’re honest, it’s easy to say we believe in the power of God. It’s hard to live like we believe it.

Perhaps the biggest indicator of your trust in God’s power is your prayer life.

Your ability to bring your hardships to God in prayer—and to leave them in His hands rather than worrying about them—reveals how much you actually trust the power of God.

Consider the story of a missionary named Gladys Aylward. She was serving as a missionary in China in the 1930s when war broke out with Japan. She led 100 children on a long trek to escape the invading armies, but they eventually came to an impassible barrier—the Yellow River. Aylward began to lose hope.

One of the children reminded her, “If God parted the Red Sea so Moses could lead the people safely across, we can trust Him to help us cross the Yellow River.”

Very matter-of-factly, Aylward replied, "I am not Moses."

The girl said, "But God is always God."

Those simple words drove Gladys to pray. And eventually a Chinese military officer discovered Gladys and the children and kindly arranged for them to cross the river by boat. [2]

Christian, you’re not a miracle-worker like Moses. But you serve the Almighty God who is all-powerful.

So bring Him your fears—even if you have to bring the same fears again tomorrow.

And rejoice, because God’s wrath reveals His power.

But also you can rejoice because…

2) God’s Wrath Reveals His JUSTICE

Many of you followed the recent criminal trial in Massachusetts involving the murder of three young children. Three years after their brutal murder, the case finally went to trial. And yet, after weeks of testimony, the trial ended without a verdict.

Whatever your opinions on this particular case, everyone agrees that justice has not been done. Whether the accused is guilty or innocent, a mistrial isn’t justice.

I won’t pretend to know what was going on in the minds of those twelve jurors. But I do know this: everybody longs for justice when they’re the one being sinned against.

We want wrongs made right. We want the truth fully known. We want a judgment we can trust.

God’s people can sing because His judgment will be just. He knows the whole truth. He will make no mistakes.

Revelation 15:3b—“Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!”

These words are particularly helpful for those who still feel uncomfortable with the idea of rejoicing in judgment.

By calling God’s ways “just,” the Scriptures are telling us that God never punishes wrongly or disproportionately. \

He’s not flying off the handle. He’s not having a bad day. His wrath is measured. The punishment fits the crime.

By calling God’s ways “true,” the Scriptures are telling us that God can judge justly because He knows the whole story.

He’s not like a juror without all the facts, or like a judge with a political bias.

He knows what we did and why we did it. He knows our thoughts, our actions, and our motivations even better than we do ourselves.

In The Wizard of Oz, the Munchkins sing when the witch dies. But when Wicked retells the story, it makes us wonder if it was right to celebrate the witch’s death after all.

That suspicion is often appropriate when human beings judge: crowds can be manipulated, rulers can manufacture villains, and we rarely know the whole story.

But the redeemed sing because God is not a fallible narrator. His ways are just and true. He cannot misunderstand the accused, overlook the evidence, or be deceived by propaganda.

If you believe that, it can change how you respond when someone sins against you.

When someone sins against you, our temptation is to make them pay. You rehearse the argument. You imagine their humiliation. You look for an opportunity to hurt them the way they hurt you.

But if you really believe God’s ways are just and true, you can entrust your case to Him.

That is the connection Paul makes in…

Romans 12:19—Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Notice what makes it possible to give up revenge: believing that God will judge.

You don’t have to pretend the wrong was small. Or that it didn’t happen.

And entrusting judgment to God does not prevent you from seeking protection or pursuing rightful accountability.

But it does mean you can surrender revenge because you know the Judge is just.

So whose wrongdoing are you rehearsing today?

Where are you looking for a chance to get even?

Bring that particular wrong to God: “Lord, you know what happened. You know what it cost. Help me trust your perfect justice.”

And pray for the person who hurt you to repent and find mercy in Jesus—the same mercy you need.

Confidence in God’s justice makes room for us to love our enemies. We can leave judgment in His hands because His ways are just and true.

Rejoice, because God’s wrath reveals His justice.

But also you can rejoice because…

3) God’s Wrath Reveals His HOLINESS

Perhaps you’re hearing all this and you’re wondering how in the world we can rejoice in the wrath of God. “My God is a God of love,” you say. “He isn’t a God of wrath.”

You’re right that God is a God of love. He does not delight in cruelty.

And yet, the Bible is clear that God does pour out wrath on unrepentant sinners.

How can both be true?

Joel Beeke helpfully puts it this way: “The Bible says, ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8), but never says, ‘God is wrath.’ Strictly speaking, wrath is not an attribute of God's nature, but is His holy justice against sin. God does not enjoy afflicting and destroying His creatures (Lam. 3:33; Ezek. 33:11), but rejoices in His righteousness and justice when He executes the law's curse upon sinners (Deut. 28:15, 63).” [3]

God’s heart is to see sinners repent. His heart is to see mercy triumph over judgment. And yet, because He is holy He cannot allow the guilty to go unpunished.

Revelation 15:4a—“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. . . . ”

God’s holiness means more than moral purity. It means He is utterly unique, incomparable, and uncompromised. He will never approve of evil or leave it finally unaddressed

And the right response to this is a reverent fear of God that glorifies His name.

And yet, far more often our response to the holiness of God is to justify ourselves.

Did you know that 25% of people believe they're in the top 1% in terms of how well they get along with others? Now I’m no math expert, but I’m pretty sure 25% of people can’t be in the top 1% of anything.

Did you know that 94% of college professors in the United States believe they're doing above-average work? Again, I’m not quite sure it adds up.

Psychologists call this 'positive illusion', and it basically means we're absolutely horrible at self-evaluation but quite brilliant at self-delusion. [4]

And perhaps nowhere is that more true than the matter of holiness.

If we’re honest, we tend to evaluate ourselves as much holier than we actually are.

You might call it confidence, but if you refuse correction and always have to be right it’s actually pride.

You might call it financial common sense, but if your desire for more keeps overruling opportunities to be generous it’s actually greed.

You might call it venting, but if you’re telling the story to make someone else look bad and get people on our side. it’s actually gossip.

God’s wrath shows us how seriously He takes the sin we have learned to excuse.

Christian, where have you become comfortable with something God calls sin?

Think about the way you speak to your family when you’re frustrated. Think about what you willingly entertain when nobody else can see. Think about the resentment you keep feeding because you believe the other person deserves it.

The right response to God’s holiness is reverent fear. And reverent fear makes us willing to stop defending our sin and start confessing it.

So get specific. Instead of saying, “Lord, forgive me for falling short,” say, “Lord, I lied because I wanted their approval.” “I spoke cruelly because I wanted to hurt her.” “I kept repeating that story because I enjoyed making him look small.”

Then take the next step repentance requires. Correct the lie. Ask forgiveness without adding an excuse. Put away what you have been using to feed your sin.

We cannot sing about God’s holy judgment while making peace with the very evil He judges.

And if you’re beginning to think, “Then I need mercy,” you’re beginning to see clearly.

Finally, we can rejoice because…

4) God’s Wrath Reveals His MERCY

Look at the final line in the song of the Redeemed…

Revelation 15:4b—“. . . All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

How is it that people from “all nations” are coming to worship God? How is it that anybody is able to come to worship God?

If everybody got what they deserved when they deserved it, we would have all been cast into hell long ago.

How can people who deserve God’s wrath sing the song of the redeemed?

Earlier in Revelation, the answer was already given: the Lamb purchased people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation. These worshipers are here because He shed His blood. [5]

And that idea is hinted at by the title for the song of the Redeemed.

Verse 3 calls it “the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.”

Before the people of God sang their song beside the Red Sea, something happened in Egypt.

Before there was a song, there was a lamb.

On the night of the first Passover, God was bringing His wrath upon the nation of Egypt.

The firstborn child in every home would die.

Every home that was not marked on the doorposts.

But how should they mark their doors?

God did not tell them to write their good deeds on the door.

He didn’t tell them to list their genealogy.

Or provide some proof of their refusal to worship the gods of Egypt.

He told them to slaughter a spotless lamb and put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts.

Then He promised His people, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

The only reason the people could sing by the Red Sea was because they had been rescued by the blood of the Lamb.

And now John sees another multitude, beside another sea, singing another song.

And we do not have the right to sing because of our good deeds. Or because of our upbringing. Or because of our refusal to worship other gods.

We are able to sing because the spotless Lamb of God suffered the wrath of God in our place on the cross.

Have you trusted in the blood of the Lamb, friend? You can today. Turn from your sins and trust in Jesus. If you’d like to talk to someone more about this, I’d love to talk with you after the service.

Perhaps you have trusted Him, but you’re afraid you haven’t trusted Him enough.

You’re worried that somehow, someway you’ll be subjected to God’s wrath because your faith was too weak.

Hear me, Christian: the object of your faith matters infinitely more than the size of your faith.

D. A. Carson once illustrated this by imagining two men on the night of that first Passover—we’ll call them Smith and Brown.

Smith asks his neighbor, “Are you nervous about tonight?”

Brown says, “God told us what to do. Have you killed the lamb and put its blood on your doorposts?”

Smith says. “Of course I've done it. I'm not stupid. But it's still pretty scary. Think of everything that's happened around here lately. Now there's this threat of the firstborn sons being killed. This is scary stuff!”

Brown says: “Well if you put the blood on the doorposts, you'll be fine! Just believe!!!”

Smith says: “I told you, I obeyed Moses' instructions. I did everything. But I'm still nervous. Besides, you have four sons, I've only got one.”

Brown replies: “God promised that He will pass over us when He sees the Blood. Just trust Him!”

So one man waits with confidence. The other waits with trembling.

And that night, judgment comes.

Which man loses his son?

Neither!

The confident father’s son is safe. And the trembling father’s son is safe.

Because God did not say, “When I see how confident you are, I will pass over you.”

He said, “When I see the blood of the lamb I will pass over you.”

Friend, the strength of your faith is not what saves you. The Savior you trust is Who saves you.

Your faith may tremble, but His promise does not.

And that is how people who deserve judgment become people who sing.

The people beside the sea know what evil has done. They have suffered under its power. They also know the sin in their own hearts. Yet there they stand—delivered, forgiven, and praising God.

This is the future God’s people can count on:

His power will overcome every enemy.

His justice will answer every wrong.

His holiness will bring an end to evil.

And His mercy will bring His people safely home.

Which brings us to the Lord’s Table.

The bread and the cup remind us what our deliverance cost: the body of Jesus given for us, His blood shed for our forgiveness.

He Himself bore the wrath of God in our place.

He is the reason we can sing.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

We Receive

LORD’S SUPPER

Doxology

Benediction (Hebrews 13:20–21)