The Thrill Of Victory

Introduction

Illustration:

If you tuned in to ABC's Wild World of Sports from 1971 onward, you're familiar with the opening sequence, in which sportscaster Jim McKay touts "the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat."

For nearly three decades, "the agony of defeat" was personified by a ski jumper's spectacular wipeout at Oberstock, Germany.

That ski jumper was Vinko Bogataj of Yugoslavia, whose brief presence on the popular show made him probably the most famous ski jumper in the world, or at least to American sports fans.

Over the years, different clips were rotated in to the montage to illustrate the "thrill of victory," but Vinko Bogataj's accident remained as the "agony of defeat" through the show's end in 1998. He's the Agony of Defeat Guy...

Transition To Body- Being in the like company of the Apostle John exiled on the island of Patmos

For the past 3 chapters leading up to chapter 7 of this book

Gos has been revealing the glorious future which awaits the people of God

Revelation 1:9 ESV

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 2-3 Collective Personality of Christ’s Church

Revelation 4 All Shall bow at the throne of God

Revelation 5 On the Lamb is worthy

Revelation 5:12 ESV

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!”

Revelation 6 Preview of Persecutions to Come

Illustration: Paul S. Morton’s “The Best Is Yet To Come” & “Be Blessed”

You may think that it’s over

That life is done

The best is yet to come

Don’t sweat the challenge

Your battle is already won

The best is yet to come

See god writes the end Before the story begins

The best is yet to come

I see you in the future And you look better I see you walking in favor and prosperity too Let me encourage you Let me speak life to you You can depend on God to see you through You can depend on me to pray for you

Body

God’s Chosen People’s Guaranteed Protection (Rev. 7:1-8)

Sealed- to mark with a seal as a means of identification, mark, seal so that the mark denoting ownership also carries w. it the protection of the owner

Ezekiel 9:4–6 ESV

4 And the Lord said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” 5 And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. 6 Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house.

God’s Seal of Redemption

Isaiah 44:5–8 ESV

5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s,’ another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel.” 6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. 8 Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.”

Seal of the Holy Spirit To Guarantee Our Salvation

2 Corinthians 1:19–22 ESV

19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Ephesians 1:13–14 ESV

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

As a consequence we have…

God’s Multifaceted Church Worshiping Victoriously (Rev. 7:9-12)

William Seymour, the African-American leader of the Azusa Street revival that birthed the hundreds of millions of Pentecostals and charismatics in the world today, concluded that the greatest sign of the Spirit’s work was love, especially and necessarily as expressed across racial and ethnic lines.31 We should not be too surprised to think that biblical writers shared a similar emphasis (Acts 1:8; 2:5–11; Eph. 2:18, 22).

Started Back in Rev. 5:9-12

Revelation 5:9–12 ESV

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!”

Ephesians 3:8–12 ESV

8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

The twenty-four elders are not literal people, they represent something. From the text, we can understand the following things about them:

They are kings. They have thrones and crowns. Yet they worship the great King, the Lord God. They are men, not angels.

They symbolise the church, for they sing about how God ransomed people from every nation. In older translations, that might be more reliable, it even says ‘you have ransomed us’.

They symbolise the church in heaven. They have run the race, they have conquered, and have become kings.

Who Is celebrating the victory

White robes symbolize purity

Pure In Heart

Matthew 5:8 ESV

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Wearing Victor’s Attire

“White robes” are appropriate for worship (see comment on 4:4) but also may reflect their victors’ attire and may well connect them with the martyrs of 6:11 and other overcomers of 3:4–5, 18. That they are washed in the Lamb’s blood (7:14) may also suggest that they overcame by martyrdom, just as he did (12:11), though the focus of the image is sharing the effects of Christ’s expiatory sacrifice on their behalf (cf. 1:5; 1 John 1:7).

Palm branches symbolize victory

“Palm branches” (7:9) sometimes recall the Feast of Tabernacles, which in turn recalls deliverance from slavery in Egypt and God’s presence with his people in the desert until he brought them into their final inheritance.6 But most often they reflect any military triumph, as with Maccabean princes and probably with expectations during Jesus’ Triumphal Entry in John (John 12:13).7

The end-time army John has heard about (7:1–8) actually hails the ultimate Victor, Jesus, who has led them to triumph. Like the Lamb, they “conquer” through their own deaths (5:5–6; cf. 6:9–11).

Heaven functions like an antiphonal chorus (cf. Ex. 15:21), with the martyrs hailing God and the Lamb, who have led them to their victory (Rev. 7:10), and all of heaven responds with further praises.8

Almost every hero in the Bible exhibits some flaws, whether major flaws like Samson and Jephthah or minor ones like Abraham and Samuel. The one exception is Jesus, the only true hero in the ultimate sense. That the martyr army holds palm branches to praise their conquering general reminds us of our dependence on Jesus and summons us to worship.

How do they celebrate the victory

Worship God & the Lamb

Why are they celebrating the victory

(Go back to Rev. 7:1-8)

Revelation 7:1–8 ESV

1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

The church’s experience of

God’s Deliverance Through Jesus’s Sacrifice (Rev. 7:13-17)

Revelation 7:13–17 ESV

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 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.”

Came Out of Great Tribulation

sense trouble that inflicts distress, oppression, affliction, tribulation

Washed Their Robes

Revelation 3:1–5 ESV

1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

Made Them White With the Blood of the Lamb

Shepherded by the Lamb

Transition To Close

Illustration: Remix Survivor by Destiny’s Child March 2001

Thought I couldn't breathe without you

I'm inhaling

You thought I couldn't see without you

Perfect vision

You thought I couldn't last without you

But I'm lastin'

You thought that I would die without you

But I'm livin'

Thought that I would fail without you

But I'm on top

Thought it would be over by now

But it won't stop

Thought that I would self destruct

But I'm still here

Even in my years to come

I'm still gon' be here

I'm a survivor

I'm not gon' give up

I'm not gon' stop, oh

I'm gon' work harder

I'm a survivor

Revelation 7:13–17 ESV

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 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.”

Creation Waits

Romans 8:18–19 ESV

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

Spirit Helps Us In Our Weakness

Romans 8:26 ESV

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Romans 8:31–35 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Romans 8:37–39 ESV

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Close- Jesus’ Thrill of Victory

Isaiah 6:1 ESV

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

John 12:32 ESV

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Hebrews 12:1–5 ESV

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.

Matthew 19:25–30 ESV

25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.