Sing a New Song of Victory

Revelation 15:1-4

Sing a New Song of Victory

Intro: Have you ever gotten an earworm? It is the term for when a song gets stuck in your head. Sometimes its a good song, one you like and you don’t mind it, but other times it is a terrible song, or perhaps it’s just a goofy song that won’t stop. And the bad thing is you don’t know why.

Sometimes it’s a song for a mood. When you are sad, there are songs you probably wan to play. The Blues are good for that. When BB King sings How blue can you get, you can identify with his pain.

Sometimes it’s to motivate you to win or that you have one. I’m sure mot people are familiar with Queen’s song We are the Champions. And have heard it at sporting events when one of the teams wins. It's because they put in the hard work, and the practice and have won some big event. And there is cause to celebrate and sing

And that is what today is. Easter is when Christian celebrate the Risen Christ, the victor over our sins. Victor over death and the curse that we incurred because of The fall. This idea of God being victorious is throughout the Bible and as we ave seen, throughout the Book of Revelation as well.

Read Verses: Revelation 15:1–4 (ESV): 15 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.

2 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.

3 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!

Just and true are your ways,

O King of the nations!

4 Who will not fear, O Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship you,

for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Main Idea: Christians can sing a victory Song knowing Jesus Lives!

I. The Last Song

If you read ahead in the book, this is the last song of Revelation. I think digital music loses some of the appeal to nostalgia because there was something about seeing the record player needle moving toward the inside of the record.

In fact, Freebird is the last song on Lynayrd Skynrd’s first Album and it's probably the most well known song by the band.

The End by the Doors is one that is aptly named because it is the last song on that album.

John tells us that the angels who had the seven plagues are last because in them the wrath of God is finished.

John is witnessing the end of it all as far as how the world will be taken care of and he describes the sign as great and marvelous. The second word, marvelous, drives home the point of the quality of astonishment. What he sees is almost beyond belief or comprehension in some ways.

The wrath of God will be finished in the seven plagues. But there are two words that we translate as wrath but maybe the better word in english is fury. One dictionary describes this word as “a state of intense displeasure or anger” The other Greek word for that gets translated as wrath means state of relatively strong displeasure so for the Greek, it is a matter of degrees in how much anger or wrath the person has. It is unbridled fury that is God’s response to the injustice in the world that seems to be what will happen in chapter 16.

And we know that God’s wrath and anger were poured out on Jesus for our sins. He took that pain for us. He paid that price.

The Bible says in John 19:30, “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

In Mark 15:37 we read, “With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.” According to Bible scholars, this “loud cry” may have been those very last words that John records, “It is finished.”

He spoke it out loud. He declared it for all to hear. He uttered a loud cry to His Father in heaven for the whole world to know, and for every evil force to have to flee, for Christ’s work on the cross was complete.

Done.

Accomplished.

Paid in full.

That was Jesus’ last song for us on the earth for his first record. And then His spirit left him. That is better than any song on any album because What he did for us on that Cross on the Good Friday was to take your place and my place in what John is describing in the next few chapters of revelation that the world is yet to come.

If we haven't been raptured yet, this is the point I believe we will be raptured or removed from this earth. We will not have to withstand God’s wrath or fury because Jesus already did. We are gone before the wrath takes place.

And what we get to avoid is so wonderful and we realize that we should be grateful for and realize that we are on the winning side. And that should make us sing.

II. The Victory Song

In verse 2, John describes something like a sea of glass mixed with fire.

The sea connotes cosmic evil. But with John’s vision, we see the chaotic powers of the sea as calmed by divine sovereignty. In chapters 4:6 and 5:5-6 Jesus mentions he will overcome everything that is going on. And we know as we celebrate Easter, that Jesus' death and resurrection has defeated the power of evil and has calmed the devils watery abode, as Greg Beale puts it. And so that is what we see when John uses the phrase the sea had become a sea of glass.

The mixture of the sea of glass mixed with fire shows that the sea has become the place where the lamb has judged the beast. Because in revelation almost everywhere there is Fire mentioned it signifies the judgment of God upon the wicked.

And John also notes that he saw those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and his number. Those who had resisted and defeated the devil, the antichrist and the false prophet. Those people were standing on the sea with golden harps.

So you have this heavenly band with harps. So who is in the band? You have to open the record and look at the Liner notes to see who is in the band. The victorious are the martyrs, and all the faithful. Not everyone will die a martyrs’ death. There are many saints, through the years who pass on peacefully after years of faithful servitude to the almighty. But this is a hopeful reminder of what the end looks like for us as Christians.

We stand over the sea who represent the evil one and those who follow Satan.

In practical terms, the calls for readers to conquer meant engaging challenges ranging from overt hostility, to more subtle pressures to accommodate Greco-Roman worship, to the economic prosperity that produces complacency (Rev 2–3). Here, refusing to worship the beast’s image means—at least in part—avoiding the imperial cult (Giesen; Roloff), whereas rejecting the mark is a broader summons to guard against commercial activities that lure people into identifying with the beast.

Craig R. Koester, Revelation: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, ed. John J. Collins, vol. 38A, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2014), 634.

You see, When the Pharisees presented Jesus to Pilate, they thought they won. They thought they had Rome do their dirty work and this pesky galilean rebel was going to be forgotten about in a short time. People mocked him throughout his trial and while he was hanging on the cross. They just had to get through the next few days.

In fact Matthew 27, starting at verse 62 says they were worried about his disciples doing something drastic or dramatic so they posted guards on the tomb on Saturday. They sealed the tomb so that if someone moved the stone door, they would know if anyone could get past the guards.

The apostles thought they lost. They went back presumably to the upper room, rejected and lost. They may have eaten dinner but it was the sabbath so they probably observed the rules and ate leftovers from the last supper with Jesus.

But Sunday morning was around the corner and that is the Best song.

III. The Best Song

The group of the saints, us, because if you are saved, you are in this group, is standing on the sea of glass or calm sea really with a golden harp that God gave each of us. Imagine this multitude of people singing in perfect harmony and playing their instruments as they sing to praise God. How wonderful that will sound like.

And we begin to sing two songs.

The Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb.

The Song of Moses comes from Exodus 15. So where we see the importance of Moses and the Exodus event.

The song recounts the Israelite escape from Egypt and How God was the one who fought the battle for them while they followed his instructions and how he protected them.

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 The Lord is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a man of war;

the Lord is his name.

7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;

you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.

11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?

Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

13 “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;

you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.

14 The peoples have heard; they tremble;

pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.”

John does not mention or write down the lyrics or poem for the song of moses because the people probably already knew it. Or at least knew of it. But the event of the Red sea sounds a lot like a mini apocalypse complete with the plagues. The list of plagues is often shortened to seven instead of ten.

And it is thought that at the event the entire nation sings this song of moses or the song of the sea as it is also referred to. So again you have a precursor to what the end times will be thousands of years before it happens.

After that song, we sing another song, The song of the Lamb in verses 3 and 4:

“Great and amazing are your deeds,

O Lord God the Almighty!

Just and true are your ways,

O King of the nations!

4 Who will not fear, O Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship you,

for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

The ideas are the same here, God is mighty, and he is without a doubt The almighty. He is the king of all nations and he will reign forever.

If you listen to enough music from one band, you can recognize their songs no matter what. The sounds, the lyrics, the singer. They all match and have a pattern they stick to even if they try something new. It is the same thing here.

All the songs to God, all the praising we give him should come down to and are consistent with the entire Bible.

The general thematic connections are enriched by language from other biblical passages. The theme of God’s incomparable holiness from Exod 15:11 creates a link with Jer 10:6–7, which declares that no one is like God and adds, “Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?” This in turn recalls Ps 86:8–10, which declares that God is incomparable because his works are great and awe-inspiring and that all nations will come and worship before him, for he alone is God. Finally, Ps 98:1–2 identifies God’s triumph with the revelation of his justice. There are also allusions to a second song of Moses, which appears in Deut 32:1–43 and anticipates Israel’s entry into the promised land, where the people will prove unfaithful and yet will be redeemed. Although some interpreters consider this a primary text for the song in Rev 15:3–4 (Fenske, “Lied”; cf. Beale), there are only a few connections.

Craig R. Koester, Revelation: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, ed. John J. Collins, vol. 38A, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2014), 634.

We sing the best song about the best person. It tells us and reminds us of Who God is. He is King, he is truth, he is holiness. He is ever-loving and He is patient. And he satisfied the debt for His law by himself for us. He paid the price that was set by him. He is not unreasonable as some may want to make him out to be.

The good news is that God came to earth to live a sinless life, to be our example, but also to take our unpayable debt and tear it up. To bury it in the tomb with him. But you see the only thing that came out of that tomb Easter morning is Jesus.

He is risen. I still like Mark’s gospel account the best from chapter 16:1-8

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they could go and anoint him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sunrise. 3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?” 4 Looking up, they noticed that the stone—which was very large—had been rolled away.

5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side; they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they put him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there just as he told you.’”

8 They went out and ran from the tomb, because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid.

The best Song: He is Risen! He is not Here! The amazement of those words. He was here, but he is no longer here!

He is alive, returned to life. Which is something that Jesus did for Lazarus in front of lots of people. But who could do that for Jesus? God The father. The Father raised the Son.

Jesus was obedient in both his divine nature and human nature. God restored him to his divine nature , but he still had a body, but now it was a glorified body.

And likewise, you are raised form the dead. Paul tells us in Ephesian 2:1-10

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

This new song is a song of Grace.

Application: Why sing to God?. Do I want an earworm of the gospel message in my head all day?

Yes You should.

The first two come from a pastor named Tom Olson. These are from his blog or webpage.

1. When you sing, you obey.

Singing isn’t an option in Scripture. It’s a command:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart… (Ephesians 5:18-19)

God’s people are more than just invited to sing; we are commanded to sing. When we sing, we’re doing what God asks of us!

2. When you sing, you dig deep roots in the Word.

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs… (Colossians 3:16)

How many of us know words to songs but can't do algebra or remember history facts. But songs, like poems, are made to be short and succinct or specific so you remember them.

Many of the psalms are songs, and in fact some churches still use the psalms for their hymns.

I can't memorize the entire Bible, but I can remember a few Psalms that tell the Biblical story, such as the Song of Moses. Think of them as musical creeds.

3. Other people hear you singing

When you sing the song, people hear it.

This can encourage them if they are christian or maybe inspire someone to ask what is the catchy tune you are singing.

Ephesians 5:19 that it says: “Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” This lifts people up. This fosters community and develops connections. And has been found to be a physiological benefit of singing.

4. Singing helps you focus on God.

When you sing songs, it makes you think about someone or something. So if your songs are about God, then you focus on Him. Just like the songs we learned today the song of Moses and the song of the lamb, They are about God. they make you focus on God’s deeds. Not your own.

This doesn't mean you don't do things in your daily life, but it's more important for you to focus on God’s deeds in your daily life.

Conclusion:

Sing to God. Sing His praises in your life. Make a joyful noise! It doesn’t matter if you can sing or not. This is not American Idol or Heaven’s Got Talent.

Sing His praises all day long. Sing to remember, sing to face your fears, sing to ask for help.

Sing to tell the story of Jesus and how he came to earth to pay for your sins and sing

Joy to the world! The Lord is come

Let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and nature sing

Or Join in with Hark the Herald Angels sing!

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Ris'n with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”