HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOUR
Rev. 19:6
Morning Meditation 11/22/14
"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
The word "Alleluia" translates "allelouia" and means, "praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah." There are four of these in Revelation chapter nineteen. I want us to look at some reasons why we as believers in Christ Jesus ought to praise the Lord. You will notice in Revelation chapter nineteen they did not ask if it was alright to shout "Alleluia!" They did not ask if it was appropriate. They were not rebuked for doing it. There was no response from the throne of God that indicated that these shouts were not welcome.
Our hearts should be continually filled with praise that we have a saving relationship with the Lord our God. There is every reason for us to praise Him. Let's just notice a few things about which we should be in constant praise.
WE SHOULD PRAISE HIM FOR HIS INTENSE LOVE FOR US
John 3:16-17, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
The Holy Spirit inspired John to say, "For God so loved the world .. . ." He doesn't just say, "He loved the world," but that, "He SO love the world." That little word "so" intensifies the description of the love God has for us. It means that the kind of love God had caused Him to do something extraordinary. Notice the following things:
1. He gave His only begotten Son to give us a way out of condemnation. There is no way a Holy God could save a guilty sinner without his sins being paid for. God's justice had to be satisfied. There was no way that man could possibly satisfy God for the sins he had committed. So Jesus came into the world to be our sacrifice to pay God for us for all our sins.
2. He made faith the only requirement for our salvation. Repentance is a necessary prerequisite to saving faith but faith in Jesus is what the sinner has to do to be saved. Paul says in Romans 4:16, "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; TO THE END THE PROMISE MIGHT BE SURE TO ALL THE SEED; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all," (special emphasis mine). No one can keep God's law but anyone can believe in Jesus. That puts salvation within the reach of all.
3. God did not send His Son to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. If any one in this world is not saved, it is not because the way has not been provided. It is because a personal choice has been made to reject Jesus God's only begotten Son as a personal Saviour.
Then John writes more about this love in his first epistle: 1 John 4:9 says, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him."
1 John 4:10 says, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." The word "propitiation" is translated "mercy seat" in Hebrews 9:5: "And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly." This means that Jesus Himself is our mercyseat. The mercyseat was the place where God met with man on the grounds of the sprinkled blood. The blood reconciled sinful man and a holy God.
Then John says in 1 John 4:19: "We love him, because he first loved us."
The love God has for us is an intense love. It is a quality of love that loves without being loved. God's love for us is not His response to our love for Him. We are told in Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." This is a quality of love that is beyond our understanding. God loved us even when we were enemies of His. Romans 5:10-11 says, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement."
Another thing that should cause us to be in constant praise is,
HE IS THE OMNIPOTENT GOD TO SECURE US
Revelation 19:6 says, "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: FOR THE LORD GOD OMNIPOTENT REIGNETH."
Do you know that Satan is our constant enemy? Do you know, if it were possible, Satan would have us back in his family? He would take us away from God immediately if it were possible. The only way he can get the sinner and take him with him to the lake of fire is to prevent his salvation. Because after we are saved, we are kept by the power of God. Let's notice some verses that has to do with out security based on His power.
1 Peter 1:3-5, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, WHO ARE KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Peter was the kind of person who would take Satan on and make a claim to keeping himself. When Jesus told Peter he would deny Him, Peter argued and declared he wouldn't. Peter had a great love for the Lord. He could not imagine anything that would cause him to deny Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. But Peter did exactly what Jesus said he would do. He became a miserable failure and went out and wept bitterly over it. By the time Peter wrote his first epistle, he knew if he made it, it would have to be because of His Lord's keeping power. So he says in the verse above, "Who (speaking of all believers) are kept by the power of God."
Jude speaks of our being kept by the power of God. Jude 1:24, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy," The word "able" translates "dunamai" and means, "to be able, have power."
The book of Hebrews in Hebrews 7:25, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." The word able is referring to one's inherent power.
John says in John 10:27-29, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." Jesus plainly teaches here that our security is in His power to keep us. No one can take us away from him."
The Lord's keeping power is something of which we should praise the Lord continually. And I do. I praise Him that He has committed Himself to take me where I am, forgive me of my sins, and keep me by His power. Hallelujah!!! What a Saviour!!!
WE SHOULD PRAISE HIM BECAUSE HE HAS MADE OUR BODY HIS TEMPLE
1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
When we are saved the Holy Spirit becomes the seal of our salvation. This is brought out in Ephesians 1:13-14, "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Let's notice the truths revealed in these verses:
1. They heard the gospel of salvation. This is the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth . . ." Rom. 1:16.
2. After they heard the gospel, they believed.. "In whom ye also trusted . . ."
3. They were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise after they believed.
4. The sealing of the Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance. This means that the Holy Spirit is the down payment and the earnest of our inheritance until the transaction is completed at the rapture and resurrection.
5. The redemption of the purchased possession is the truth of Jesus paying the price of salvation where He purchased us out of the slave market of sin.
6. The salvation obtained from Him as a gift is to the praise of his glory. We do not receive the praise because He did it all. We do not contribute to our salvation at all. Ephesians 1:6 says, "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." It is by grace that we are saved and that is totally unmerited. The grace of God is wherein God makes us acceptable in Christ. He receives all the praise and glory for our salvation because He is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
WE SHOULD PRAISE HIM BECAUSE HE IS A COMING SAVIOUR TO GLORIFY US
Paul taught the Christians in the church at Thessalonica in the first epistle chapter 1:10, "And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." Paul was expecting Jesus to come and taught the new converts to wait for His return. This is one of the glowing experiences of the believers in the early church.
They were warned about those who would deny this truth. 2 Peter 3:3-7, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." Jesus is coming again and when He does He will change us. 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."
Hallelujah to God and the Lamb forever. There is a great day coming. I look forward to that day with great anticipation. It is not because I think I'm going to get great rewards. I just want to see Jesus and have the things that He has promised to all believers no matter what their status of rewards is. I rejoice but it is not like it will be then. I think if we knew fully what our meeting with Him would be like we would not be able to contain ourselves. I have an idea that we would have such joy that if we didn't shout they would be wiping us off the walls because of the explosion.
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
