4/29/07 - Easter 4 - Rev. 7:9-17

CHRIST IS BOTH LAMB AND SHEPHERD
- He washes our robes in blood
- He watches our lives in love

Nowhere, nowhere in Scripture are the glories of heaven more vividly displayed than in the book of Revelation. In fact, entire chapters of that book are dedicated to the eternal joys and majesties of Paradise. Our sermon text for today comes from one such chapter. Revelation chapter seven is in the middle of the book and so also in the middle of the vision that the apostle John received from Jesus Christ himself. And in that part of the vision John sees some amazing things: a countless throng of people, endless ranks of angels, 24 elders, 4 living creatures, and in the middle of it all, on his holy throne sits none other than the Lamb himself. The Lamb who also happens to be the Shepherd. One of the great paradoxes in all of Scripture. But also one of the most comforting facts to any Christian of any age. Christ is both our Lamb and Shepherd. He washes us clean in his blood as the Lamb. And he watches over our lives in his love as the Shepherd. And as we sit here right now looking at these very words of Scripture about Christ our Lamb and Shepherd, there are millions upon millions of believers already in heaven, praising and thanking Christ as their Lamb and Shepherd. A celebration we, too, hope to be a part of very soon.
But there’s only one way you will be able to join in those eternal festivities: you need to get that robe you are wearing washed. Because look at the robes of those who are in heaven now! John said, “I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes.” Each and every one of those saints in heaven has the exact same kind of robe on. A pure white robe. Blinding white. Wedding white. A white so pristine, so unbelievably clean that it almost takes your breath away. This is the robe of those in heaven. This is the only robe that is allowed.
Now look at your own. You are wearing a robe. Not a robe you can see. Not a robe you can feel. But a very real robe nonetheless. It’s a robe that reveals every one of your actions and every one of your words and every one of your thoughts. Your robe reveals everything about you. And so your robe isn’t a brilliant white, is it? In fact, it’s not even an off-white! It’s not gray, it’s not just discolored, it’s filthy! It’s completely covered with muck and mud. It’s stained and grimy and contaminated to its very fibers. Because of you. Because of who you are and what you’ve done and what you’ve said and what you’ve thought.
That doesn’t sit very well with you, does it? You and I don’t want to admit that our robes are filthy dirty because of who we are. But if you are inclined to think that maybe your actions aren’t all that disgusting, consider what Scripture says: “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). And if you haven’t been told this before allow me to tell you now: the actual word used for “filthy rags” in this passage means “used menstrual cloths.” Even the righteous things - the best things we do - are like used menstrual cloths because we are completely contaminated! And if you are inclined to think that your words aren’t all that bad, consider something else Scripture says: “The tongue is… a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell” (James 3:6). Any word we say, no matter how good-intentioned it may have been, is still tainted with sin. Nothing we say is perfect and so everything we say is sinful. And after all this, if you are still inclined to think that maybe at least your thoughts are OK, consider once again what Scripture says: “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of his heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). The combination of our filthy actions, our corrupt words, and our evil thoughts, make for one foul and defiled robe. A robe that will not be allowed in heaven. A robe that will only take one’s wearer to hell.
So, if this is a Scriptural fact for every person on the face of the earth, how did those countless multitudes of people in John’s vision get their robes so unbelievably clean? That’s what the apostle John was wondering, too. And so one of the 24 elders said to him, “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Now, washing something in blood doesn’t usually make it clean of course. But these are no ordinary robes and this is definitely no ordinary blood. It’s the blood of the Lamb. Our Lamb. Jesus Christ “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). That means all of our disgusting actions are completely washed clean in the pure blood of the Lamb. All of our corrupt words are completely washed clean in the pure blood of the Lamb. All of our evil thoughts are completely washed clean in the pure blood of the Lamb. You do have a white robe on! Despite all attempts to soil and stain it, Christ’s blood as washed it clean. There is not one smudge, spot, or speck left. Right now you are wearing the robe that you will be wearing in heaven. And so when we do enter the heavenly gates we will join in with all creation in singing to the Lamb what is recorded for us in Revelation chapter 5, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (v.9). You will be there. You will sing those praises. Because you are wearing a robe that has been washed in the blood of the Lamb. That robe will not be taken away. That robe will take you to him.
I don’t want to give you the false impression, though, that because you are already wearing that white robe of righteousness, your life will be trouble-free. That’s not the case at all. Remember that the crowds of people with the white robes whom John saw in his vision were those “who have come out of the great tribulation.” What is the great tribulation, exactly? Well, it’s life. It’s the life of a Christian. As a Christian you are the main target of the devil’s schemes and plots. As a Christian you are constantly swimming against the tide of this world because you believe in things that are completely contrary to human nature. As a Christian your entire life will be a battle against sin and the devil and the world. You are in the great tribulation right now. And you are outnumbered. You are outmatched. But you are not alone.
Because the Lamb, who has washed your robe in his blood, is also your Shepherd. He has not rested from his work. He is not just simply waiting for you to enter heaven, he is working for you right now - protecting you and guiding you and shielding you from evil and danger. He will not let you, his little lamb, wander away. He will not let you, his own dear sheep, be devoured by wild beasts. You are special to him. You are precious to him. And he wants nothing more than to share with you the glories of the heaven he has prepared for you.
This is what you have to look forward to. When you get to heaven, away from this great tribulation, “He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over [you].” That means he will make his dwelling with you. He will live among you in heaven and you will always be with him along with every other believer of all time. And the Lord promises those believers: “never again will they hunger, never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 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.”
Right now, in this life, your throat gets parched. Your stomach rumbles, the sun burns, the tears are real - and sometimes frequent. But not in heaven. In heaven your thirst will be eternally quenched in the springs of living water. Your hunger will be forever satisfied by the fruit on the tree of life. The heat of the sun on this earth will be replaced by the warmth of the Son of God. And every tear that you shed in this life will be wiped away never to be brought back again. Pure happiness. Complete contentment. A joy we cannot even describe or fathom, but a state of perfection that each and every one of us who wears that blood-soaked white robe can look forward to. “Blessed are those that wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may go through the gates into the city” (Rev. 22:14). Words from Jesus himself at the end of Revelation. Words of promise. Words of comfort. Words for us. Keep these words in mind, lambs of our dear Lord. The tree of life is waiting. The heavenly gates are open for you. And you, clothed in your white robes, will soon be there. And so will your brothers and sisters. And so will the Lamb. And so will the Shepherd.
Amen.

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” - Rev. 5:12