God’s Mercy Magnified | Revelation 7:9-17

Scripture

• Revelation 7:9–17

About this sermon

Introduction: The best thing God will ever do for His creatures is to put His glory on display in a way that fuels our worship. To put His glory on display in a way that informs and invokes our worship. When Moses asked to see the glory of God, God declared His name to Moses. And when God declared His name to Moses, HE MAGNIFIED HIS MERCY. It is true that He declared His mercy in a way that also insists on His holiness. It is true that He declared His name in a way that insisted on His sovereignty. But He was not obligated to talk about His sovereignty in relationship to mercy. He could have declared His sovereignty with an emphasis on judgment. And yet God set His mercy before Moses. ESV Exodus 33:18 Moses said, "Please show me your glory." 19 And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. ESV Exodus 34:1 The LORD said to Moses, "Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain." 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. ESV Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. ESV Psalm 145:8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. IT IS GOD’S GLORY — NOT JUST TO DISPLAY HIS JUDGMENT — BUT TO DISPLAY HIS MERCY. Well, in this interlude that is the 7th chapter of Revelation, GOD TELLS US THAT IN THE WORST TIME IN HUMAN HISTORY — a time when His wrath will be on display — IT WILL BE HIS GLORY TO MAGNIFY HIS MERCY. “Who is able to stand?” This is the question that Revelation chapter 7 answers. And the answer is: ANYONE WHO EMBRACES THE MERCY OF GOD. ANYONE WHOM THE LORD ENABLES TO STAND. ANYONE WHOM THE LORD SAVES. And that number, in the tribulation period, will NOT BE A SMALL NUMBER. God’s mercy will be poured out in a way that represents one of the greatest ingathering of souls in a short period of time that the world has ever seen. One of the greatest awakenings in human history will be taking place at the very time that God is pouring out His wrath on mankind in a way never seen. It is God’s glory to pour out mercy in the midst of wrath. I. THE DESCRIPTION OF A GREAT MULTITUDE (vs.9-12) The first thing that John reports seeing was a massive crowd of people. A. SO GREAT THAT THEY COULDN’T BE NUMBERED (vs.9) This is one of several contrasts when you consider this group in comparison with the first one. 1. THE FIRST HAS A DEFINITE NUMBER — THE SECOND CANNOT BE COUNTED 2. THE FIRST IS MADE UP OF JEWISH BELIEVERS — THE SECOND FROM EVERY NATION, AND ALL TRIBES, PEOPLES, AND TOUNGUES. 3. THE FIRST IS LIVING UPON THE EARTH AND BEING PROTECTED IN THE MIDST OF THE TRIBULATION — THE SECOND IS SEEN IN HEAVEN HAVING BEEN DELIVERED OUT FROM THE TRIBULATION 4. THE FIRST WILL HONOR GOD BY THEIR SERVICE UPON EARTH — THE SECOND IS GLORIFYING GOD BY THEIR WORSHIP AND SERVICE IN HEAVEN God’s glory will be acknowledged worldwide. God’s saving purposes encompass all the earth.

Topics

• Love & Compassion
• Bible Study
• Prophecy & End Times