May 11, 2025
Pastor John Hering
Revelation 7:9–17
Revelation 7:9–17
9 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. 10 They called out with a loud voice and said: Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb.
11 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, 12 saying: Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.
13 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.”
14 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.
15 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. 16 They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again. The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat, 17 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.
Welcome to Braum’s Ice Cream store! What flavor would you like. And how many times are you going to lick that ice cream cone? Lots! Happy Mother’s Day! How many hugs would you like to receive from your mother today? Lots! Today we are singing the familiar words of Psalm 23 in various hymns several times. In putting the service together the thought crossed my mind that we sure are singing Psalm 23 a lot! But, then I thought we really can’t sing the thoughts of this Psalm enough when we look at the world around us. There are wars all over the world. There are accidents on the roads, crime in the stores and neighborhoods with crimegrade.org giving Dallas a “D” rating. The approval rating of the president is falling with tensions rising between the judicial branch, the economy, and illegal immigration policies. And what about your own life? You know the frustrations at work, the uncertainties of your family relationships, loneliness and sorrow over the loss of loved ones in death. Your body aches, cancer seems to attack whoever it wants, and the guilt of sin raises its ugly head in your heart. The spiritual condition of people has affected the trust of others, lower church attendance, and we wonder why frustration and sadness rules the day! So, after hearing all of this, doesn’t it seem like we’re just losing?
Jesus graciously gave St. John a vision that is recorded for us in the Book of Revelation. This vision came when the early Church was experiencing heavy persecution—even John himself was exiled to the Island of Patmos for preaching about Jesus. The devil used this time to raise questions in the minds of Christians just like today and ask, “Is being a faithful Christian worth it?” We are not surprised for Jesus said these difficult days were coming. He pictured these difficult days in the Revelation as 7 seals that were opened to show war, famine, death, earthquakes, and spiritual turmoil. This doesn’t seem much different than what we are experiencing today. We are living in the days Jesus revealed to John. If you think life on this earth is going to get better, even if our WELS synod starts 100 New Missions in 10 years, you are mistaken. We live in a world that is infected with sin, Satan and our own sinful flesh!
So, how did you like that introduction for this sermon on Good Shepherd Sunday? Well, now let’s go to the Word of God from Revelation 7 and listen to a message of hope even while all seems lost in the world. Today the Holy Spirit encourages us to
Trust The Victory Through The Lamb
Based on God’s Promises
Jesus gave John a vision of the eternal Church in heaven.
“9 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.”
First, we see people from every corner of the world from all times. Start with Abraham when God called him from among the false gods to follow the Lord from Ur of the Chaldeans to Canaan. The Lord promised Abraham that the nation from his descendants would be greater than the sands on the seashore or the stars in the sky. Imagine our world that is so divided to all be united! This is possible because of Jesus Christ!
Do you remember when the Texas Rangers won the World Series? If you watched on TV you saw tons of people at the stadium all cheering for their team. There were people of every color of skin, language, and nationalities, age and gender. What so often divides people was all forgotten for a while as everyone celebrated the victory. As awesome as that was, it is only temporary (unless the Rangers win again this season), and it doesn’t come close to what John saw in heaven! These people are gathered together to celebrate the victory over sin, death and the devil! Jesus revealed that while the world around us may be going crazy, the victory is already won and secure! Why? Look at what the crowd in heaven is doing!
“10 They called out with a loud voice and said: Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb.”
These are the people of God who trusted in God’s Promises of salvation that was gained for them all Through The Lamb!
The victory is also yours today through faith in Jesus Christ! You are rescued from the punishment you and your sin deserved. You are forgiven and you are given a new life in Christ. The victory is yours! Jesus fought the battle for you. Jesus died on the cross and rose to prove that his victory is trustworthy. Jesus lives eternally in heaven and gives you that same victorious life. This is the celebration we see in heaven:
“11 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, 12 saying: Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
No matter how much people around us deny Jesus, turn against the gospel, hurt and harm one another, they cannot overcome the victory Jesus won for us all. The Lord blesses his people by using his wisdom, power and might to accomplish the victory for us all! The victory in heaven cannot be canceled and thanksgiving wells up within us. The victory is enjoyed by everyone of your loved ones who has died trusting in Jesus and will be enjoyed by us as well one day in person. This victory of Jesus Christ is our victory based on the Promises of God &…
That Can Never Be Taken Away
It is hard to concentrate on driving your car when there are distractions all around you. Maybe it’s an accident and everyone has to drive by slowly to see the crash. Maybe it’s the kids yelling in the back seat. Likewise, we know how hard it is to concentrate on Jesus’ victory when there are so many distractions around us. It may be the guilt of our own sins, the wickedness of the world around us, or the temptations that Satan brings into our lives, or the pity party and victim mentality that distracts us from repentance and trust in Jesus’ forgiveness. The message of Revelation today is for us to keep our eyes of Faith on the Victory That is Ours Through the Lamb on the Throne. Even when the troubles of this world surround us and weigh heavy on us, through faith in Jesus your place in the celebration Can Never Be Taken Away.
In John’s vision one of the elders affirms this truth to us by asking a question and hearing his answer.
“13 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.” 14 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.”
The great tribulation is the life of hardships and suffering that followers of Jesus will have living in this world of sin. Jesus shows us this picture of heaven as the fulfillment of the words he spoke in John 16:33:
“33 I have told you these things, so that you may have peace in me. In this world you are going to have trouble. But be courageous! I have overcome the world.”
This acknowledges that we are going to have difficult days with ups and downs, troubles and heartaches. But, Jesus said these things were going to happen, but he also shows us that those who are covered in the robes of Jesus’ righteousness that was won on the cross by the shedding of his blood stand as his forgiven people.
“15 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. 16 They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again. The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat,”
These are the people who are living in the peace of Jesus Christ That Can Never Be Taken Away in heaven. They enjoy his protection and satisfaction of all their needs forever! The blessings reflect the freedom that you will enjoy without the effects of sin. No more hunger, thirst, pain or discomfort. And all those effects of sin that I mentioned in the introduction of this sermon are removed forever!
We do not need to wait until we are in heaven to enjoy the blessings today. May I suggest that these blessings fill our hearts every time we sing a song that is based on the 23rd Psalm? The victory that is yours as a Lamb of God comes to us from our Good Shepherd!
“17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd.”
Remember this is a dream/revelation to John, so in dreams Jesus can be both our Lamb and our Good Shepherd who cares for, protects and leads us, his sheep. As your Shepherd,
“He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Everything that causes you to have tears in this life—death, persecution, heartache, sorrow—will all be removed forever. This is the hope we enjoy today as we look forward to these blessings in heaven That Can Never Be Taken Away.
Before we end this message, I’m sure you all know that Revelation is a dream that is repeated 7 times to John. There are other numbers in Revelation that mean something as well. For instance, 10—a number of completeness. The list of blessings we just heard included 10 items. The release from evil and the fullness of joy is complete and it lasts forever!
I certainly hope that you don’t suffer by repeatedly singing the words of Psalm 23. I hope you will lick Psalm 23 like a good Braum’s Ice Cream cone, or like a mother loving their children! I hope every time we sing these words you are reminded that we are living in a sinful world with difficult times. Yes, life is hard. But, my prayer for you today is that you Trust The Victory That Is Yours Through The Lamb. This victory is Based on The Promises God has Made in his Word, in your baptism, and when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. This Victory Can Never Be Taken Away because you know the Words of the Good Shepherd are Trustworthy and True! Amen!
