Revelation Sermon - 36

Revelation: Sing a New Song!

Revelation 15:1-4

1. Introduction – Once again in 15:1, we’re told that what is about to transpire is significant.

a. Remember back a few weeks to the beginning of this extended interlude, John said he saw a significant event in heaven.

i. He saw a woman clothed with the sun and the moon at her feet. Later on, in the chapter he saw a great red dragon.

1. In this part of the vision, John sees seven angels who are about to pour out the bowls of God’s wrath.

b. This is a strange chapter – it’s short, even in the midst of this short chapter, it’s almost as if John interrupts himself.

i. V. 1 he speaks about the angels with the bowls. But almost immediately after he speaks of the angels with the bowls in v.2 he starts describing a heavenly choir.

1. The choir and its song continue until the end of verse 4 where in verse 5 John once again picks up the theme of the angels with the bowls.

c. So, what is this section? Is it an introduction to the visions that follow? An introduction to the 7 bowls of judgment?

i. Or is it a conclusion to the previous section that details the cosmic battle on earth?

1. An intro or conclusion? How about both at the same time!

ii. As is often the case in the book, sections seamlessly connect together.

1. Remember, ever since the beginning of chapter 12, John has been given a behind the scenes vision of what’s going on in our world.

a. Why is the world the way it is? Why is it sometimes so hard to follow Jesus?

i. Because of the pursuit of the great red dragon and his beasts.

iii. But even in this behind the scenes vision in the cosmic and spiritual battle taking place – John is also given a vision of victory.

1. Over and over again we are reminded of the eternal bliss of Jesus’ followers, and it is often starkly contrasted with the eternal torment of the unbelievers.

a. So as this section draws to a close, John is once again given a vision of the righteous people of God – he given an assurance of their eternal experience.

d. But here’s why this chapter is also an introduction. There’s a repeated pattern here. God’s judgment is about to be poured out.

i. We’ve seen this before – twice before actually, with the breaking of the 7 seals and the blowing of the 7 trumpets. And soon the 7 bowls will be poured out, God’s final act of judgment.

1. Back in the spring, we looked at the breaking of the seven seals.

a. Remember? The 4 horsemen, the martyrs’ cry for justice, and a description of the end?

i. But do you remember what happened BEFORE the breaking of the 7 seals?

1. What happened in chapter 5? A heavenly worship service.

2. Then in early summer we studied the blowing of the 7 trumpets.

a. Remember? God’s judgment on the created order, the flock of demonic locusts and the demonic cavalry?

i. But do you remember what happened BEFORE the judgment of the seven trumpets?

1. 8:1 – silence in heaven for half an hour.

a. There was a time of preparation – of awe-inspiring silence as the prayers of the people went up, and the angels prepared to carry out the commands.

e. So here in this chapter. The subsequent verses are going to spell out us the judgment of God as the pouring out of bowls.

i. But first…

1. But first, a heavenly worship scene. A preparatory scene, as the angels receive and fill their bowls with God’s judgment.

a. Remember the cyclical nature of this book. Before the seals were broken – Praising the Lamb.

i. Before the trumpets were blown – awe-inspiring silence.

1. Before the bowls poured out – the heavenly choir singing a new song.

f. So, as I stated, these verses simultaneously conclude the previous section by reassuring the faithful of their eternal destiny…

i. While also introducing the final round of judgment by describing the angels preparing their bowls.

1. But there will be plenty of time over the next few weeks to talk about the bowls and the preparation of the angels.

a. Today I want to focus on the song of the redeemed, because the song is the obvious centerpiece of this section.

2. The Song – Before we look at the content of the song, let’s set it up by looking at its background.

a. A few weeks ago, we studied 14:1-5 – it was a glorious scene of the Lamb, Jesus, standing on Mount Zion, a place of victory.

i. We’re told in that chapter that the 144,000, which we previously identified as all of God’s people for all time – they are gathered around the throne of God.

1. And in that chapter, they are described as a great choir – each having harps, and the sound was described as crashing ocean waves.

a. It is a glorious scene of our eternal destiny – if the name of Jesus is stamped on our lives.

i. We’re told in chapter 14 that this choir sang a new song. And we don’t even have to speculate about what that song is, because here in chapter 15 it is recorded for us.

b. But the scene shifts in this heavenly worship scene. No longer are we on Mount Zion, did you catch where the saints are standing?

i. On the where??? On the sea that is like crystal.

1. On the sea…interesting.

c. Anyone remember what the sea represents? Chaos, disorder, and the abode of evil.

i. In chapter 4 there is this crystal sea, symbolizing that in the presence of God evil and chaos is subdued.

1. In 13:1, the great red dragon calls the first beast up out of the sea.

a. In 21:1, we’re told that the new earth doesn’t even have a sea.

d. But here in 15:2, what does this represent? Well, notice that the overcomes, the victors, the saints – are standing right in the place of chaos…and they are worshipping.

i. They aren’t worshipping in the safety of a sanctuary, but they are standing on the very powers of evil – and they are singing praise to the Lamb.

1. In the place of chaos, the saints celebrate and worship the Lamb, who won the victory over the forces of evil.

3. The Title – A wonderful location for this choir to sing from – now look at the title given to this song. It’s called the Song of Moses.

a. Back in the book of Exodus, a familiar story to most, God – through Moses, lead people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt.

i. And the defining moment of that great exodus was God opening up the waters of the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to pass through on dry ground.

1. And after the Israelites made it across safely, God brought the waters down on the charging Egyptian army, thus securing Israel’s freedom from slavery.

ii. And after that great event, maybe as the waters were still settling, Moses broke into song.

1. The song is recorded for us in Exodus 15. The original song of Moses is a song of deliverance, salvation and vindication.

a. It was the defining moment of Israel’s journey to freedom, and a defining moment in the history of that nation.

b. No wonder the vindicated saints of Revelation 15 pick up and reiterate the song of Moses. But these saints have even more to sing about.

i. If one nation being delivered from a ruthless regime was reason to sing…

1. How much more do the redeemed and victorious people of God have to sing about?

ii. That’s why the second title is added to this song.

1. The song of Moses, and… the song of the Lamb.

a. This song isn’t about deliverance from Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea, this song is about deliverance from sin at the cross of Jesus.

i. Because the Lamb was slain and resurrected, those who believe in him, though they too might die, they will also be resurrected and vindicated.

1. And that is reason to sing!

c. Those who sing, those who are victorious… to use the words of Revelation, those who overcome will sing the Song of Moses and the Lamb at the crystal sea.

i. Those who overcome are those who don’t succumb to the pressure of the beast.

1. And as a result, the promises written about earlier in the letter are poured out on the faithful.

a. They eat from the tree of life, they are protected from the second death, received the hidden manna, they are given authority over the nations…

i. They are given white robes, become a pillar in the temple of God, and they sit on the throne with Jesus.

1. No wonder they broke into song! It’s the least they could do!

4. Content – Finally, let’s look at the content of the song. I don’t want to go into great detail of this sing, we’ll more take the broad view this morning.

a. First, I want you to notice that this song is saturated with Scripture. This song quotes from or alludes to verses from Exodus, Deuteronomy, 1 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, The Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Haggai, Zechariah, & Malachi.

i. Like I said, it is saturated with Scripture. Why is this important? Why sing a song filled with Scripture?

1. It’s important to sing to God accurately, rightfully and in a manner consistent with who he is.

a. God has chosen to reveal himself through the words of the Bible. So what better way to worship God then by worshipping him using his own words?

ii. As God’s people, we shouldn’t worship God out of our own imaging of him – we don’t make things up about him, but we sing confidently to him through his own self-revelation.

1. Here in church, we sing songs that do this, that accurately reflect God’s character.

a. Many songs we sing quote Scripture directly, or allude to passages.

i. We want to sing to God wholeheartedly and passionately, but it is also important to follow the example here and sing to him accurately and in a manner consistent with who he is…

1. Consistent with how he has revealed himself.

b. Next, notice that this song is radically God-oriented. This song is not about the people at all.

i. It’s not about the people singing the song, its all about God. Look at the words of this song…I’ll highlight the important ones.

1. The song is not about what they have accomplished, how they feel, or what they get out of worshipping God.

a. Remember, worshipping God is not about getting something out of it. Worship is about entering in. Remember there is an always already in progress worship service happening around God’s throne…

i. And our earthly worship, whether here at church, in our homes, our car, our office – worship is not about what you ‘get’ out of it – it’s about entering in and joining that always already in progress worship service.

1. The question to ask yourself, and maybe to each other after a time of worship is NOT “What did I get out of it?” “What did you get out of it?”

a. The question to ask is always “Did I enter in?” “Did you enter in?”

ii. The Lamb’s people sing about who God is and what he has done. They have given up the pretense, the lie that they are their own saviours.

1. The Lamb’s people have given up the illusion that they can save themselves.

a. So instead of singing about themselves or focusing on themselves, the saints, the overcomes, the Lamb’s people, sing about God – who he is what he has done for them through Jesus.

i. We too must make sure our worship is focused on glorifying God and not on ourselves.

5. Application – So how does this apply to life today?

a. First, we need to follow the heavenly example. What is true of the saints above must be true of the saints below.

i. We must be preoccupied with God, his ways and his character. We must not focus on ourselves or our accomplishments.

1. We must be preoccupied with God. Even here on earth, we must be singing the song of heaven.

a. we need to be focusing on God. It’s easy to get caught up with the ever-changing events in our world.

i. With 24-hour news channels and immediate information at our fingertips, it’s easy to be toss to and for.

ii. But instead of focusing on the ever-changing circumstances around us – we need to focus on the never changing God we serve.

a. As God’s people we must focus on the glory. Might, and majesty of our God.

i. He is Almighty, just and true and his ways are truly marvelous and righteous.

1. Lose yourself in those thoughts as you ponder the great and marvelous needs of the Lord God Almighty.

b. Finally, this passage reminds us to only fear God.

i. Because he is just and mighty and because of righteous acts.

1. We are not to fear the powers of this world – but only the holiness and power of God.

6. Conclusion – the hymn we studied this morning point us forward to a glorious future…

a. When the entire body of Christ – all of God’s people for all time, gather on the crystal sea and sing. What a glorious eternity that will be. I hope you can picture it.

i. But this also serves as a reminder for us today that this scene needs to play out every day.

1. While we sing this hymn, as we gather here on earth, we need to remember that even now Jesus is reigning.

a. Even now, God is great and powerful and righteous and true and is deeds are marvelous.

i. Even now, as we gather and worship in the midst of an ever-changing and unbelieving world…

1. Even now, as we gather in the chaos – we must confidently and continually express our faith in the victory of Jesus.

b. We are reminded this morning that we must rehearse the song of heaven, the song of Moses and the Lamb…

i. The song of salvation/deliverance/vindication…

1. We must rehearse the song of heaven even while we are still living and worshipping here on earth.