The ultimate end and purpose of God in all things is the praise, honor, and glory of his own great Being. Solomon tells us, "The Lord hath made all things for himself; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil (for the day of judgment)" (Pro. 16:4) David declares, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." (Ps. 76:10). And Paul wrote, "Of him, and through him, and to him are all things; to whom be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). All things are of God, as to their original source and cause. All that comes to pass in time was purposed, ordained, decreed, and predestinated by God in eternity. I do not simply mean that God knows all things. I mean, or rather Paul means, God ordained all things. The original source of all things is God. Not only did God predestinate all that comes to pass, but all things are brought to pass through the providential rule of God. That which comes to pass is brought to pass. Nothing happens by blind fate, luck, chance, or accident. God almighty is in total control of his creation. Without question, he gives men freedom to act according to their own will, so that evil men perform evil deeds without any compulsion from God. But even the evil that men willingly do is ordained and ruled by our heavenly Father. And he allows nothing to be done, but that which he is pleased to ultimately use for the good of his elect and the glory of his name. It is this knowledge of God's total sovereignty in providence that supports our souls in all times of trouble, so that we may confidently say, "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Rom. 8:28). And all things shall ultimately render praise, honor, and glory to God. In the end, every creature and every event in the history of the universe, from the everlasting covenant of grace to the consummation of all things, shall stand as trophies and monuments to the glory of the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is what the Psalmist means, when he says, "All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord." (Ps. 145:10).
It is this ultimate end of all things, which shall be our subject tonight. I take David's words for the title of my message – "All Thy Works Shall Praise Thee O Lord." Our text is Revelation 5:13. In verses 9-10 the redeemed of the Lord sing praise to the Lord Jesus Christ for the redemption he accomplished in his death, for the grace performed by his Spirit, and for the eternal glory he has secured for them. "Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth." The angels could never sing of redeeming love and saving grace, but they do sing of the Lamb's glorious praise in verse 12 – "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." And now, in verse 13, every creature of God renders praise to God, who created all things for his own pleasure. "Every creature which is in heaven" – Animate and inanimate, angels and men, the sun, the moon, the stars, and even the fowls of the air. And every creature "on the earth" – Men and beasts and creeping things, mountains and hills and fruitful trees – And every creature "under the earth" – Gold, and silver, and minerals, and subterranean, plants and animals – "and such as are in the sea" – The mighty waters, the ships' crews lost at sea, the fish, great and small, and all the aquatic plants – "And all that are in them" – in heaven, earth, and sea – "heard I" either by their voice or by their being – "saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." John Gill stated the meaning of this text most clearly: "All creatures in their way praise God, and are subservient to the glory and interest of Christ…Even the enemies of Christ, wicked men and devils, will be obliged to own Christ to be Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Proposition:The entire universe is governed by God through the Lamb, and the entire universe will, in the end, glorify God as he is seen in the Lamb.
Divisions:I want to call your attention to five things, as we look at this verse together. As we approach again the glorious throne of our dear Savior, may it please God the Holy Spirit to take a live coal from off the altar to warm our hearts with love, joy, gratitude, and praise for Christ.
1. Christ Is The Mediatorial Head Of All Things.
2. Christ, Our Mediator, Is Himself God.
3. All God's Dealings With His Creator Are Through The Mediation of Christ.
4. God Receives Honor From His Creatures Only Through Christ The Mediator.
5. The Mediatorial Kingdom Of Christ Will Come To A Glorious End.
I. The Lord Jesus Christ Is The Mediatorial Head Of All Things.
The One who sits upon the throne, the triune God, is seen, known, manifested, and revealed only in the Lamb that was slain.
A. Our Savior's Mediatorial Rule Over All Things Is The Fruit And Reward Of His Redemptive Work.
Had he not finished the work of our redemption by his one great sacrifice for sin, he could not have taken his place upon the throne of God, to rule the world as our Mediator. (John 17:1-2). But since Christ Jesus sits upon the throne of universal monarchy, as the Lamb that was slain, we are assured that the great work of redemption which he came to accomplish is completely finished. (Heb. 10:1-14).
1. He has brought in an everlasting righteousness.
2. He has satisfied the demands of the law.
3. He has put away the sins of his people.
4. He has magnified the law and made it honorable.
5. As the reward of his labor, Christ the God-man, has been given the reins of universal monarchy – (Ps. 2:6-8); 24:3-4, 7-10; 45:6; 68:18; 85:10-13; 110:1-4; Isa. 52:13-15; 53:10-12; Acts 2:29-36; Rom. 14:9; Heb. 1:1-3).
B. Christ's Mediatorial Rule Is A Universal, Sovereign Dominion Over All Things For The Salvation Of His Elect And The God Of His Church (Eph. 1:20-23; 4:8-10).
God rules this world by the Lamb and for the Lamb. All power, authority, and dominion resides in the Lamb that was slain.
1. Christ has sovereign power over all flesh.
2. Our Savior exercises his sovereign power for the eternal salvation of his people, whom he has redeemed.
3. Here is our comfort in the midst of all our trials and temptations – The Lamb who was slain for us rules the world. (Rom. 5:10).
That One who holds the reins of universal dominion is my Savior. He loves me. He redeemed me. He is determined to save me. He has sworn that he will do me good. Who or What shall I fear?
C. Our Savior's Mediatorial Rule, While It Was Accomplished In Time, Actually Commenced In Eternity.
God turned this world over to Christ, before the world was ever made, to rule it for the salvation of his covenant people. Our Mediator upholds and maintains a fallen race and a sin cursed earth, with great long-suffering, because he is not willing that any of his elect ones perish. He will sustain this doomed world until they all come to repentance and knowledge of the truth. (II Pet. 3:9).
II. Christ, Our Mediator, Is Himself God.You will notice that the glory ascribed "to him that sitteth upon the throne" is also ascribed to "the Lamb that was slain." That Lamb, slain for our sins was and is God over all, blessed forever. The Lord Jesus Christ is himself God! We rejoice in the manhood of our Savior. But we also realize that the Man who redeemed us is God. He is as much man as though he were not God, and as much God as though he was not man.
A. We Are Trinitarians – (I John 5:7).None of us can explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity, for no mortal understands it. But we believe it and rejoice in it. We worship one God who subsists in three distinct Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. And each of these three Persons is actively engaged in fulfilling the covenant of grace (Eph. 1:3-14).
1. God the Father chose us in eternal election, predestinated us, and adopted us.
2. God the Son redeemed us, justified us, and gave us perfect, perpetual acceptance with the Father.
3. God the Spirit regenerates, calls, and preserves all God's elect, all Christ's redeemed ones.
B. Jesus Christ, Our Savior, Is God And Man In One Glorious Person.
Let no one deceive you. That man, Jesus of Nazareth is God, really and truly God. And that God who sits upon the throne of heaven is man, really and truly man (John 1:1-18).
1. In order to redeem, justify, and save fallen men, the Son of God came into this world and assumed our nature into an indissolveable union with himself – (Isa. 9:6). His name is Immanuel, God with us!
2. Christ's assumption of our nature is so perfect and complete that his divinity and his humanity can never be divided (Acts 20:28).
3. The Son of Man ascended back into heaven and assumed his rightful place upon the throne as God, so that he might bring redeemed men to glory with himself (John 17:2). NOTE: When our Savior came into the world, he laid aside his glory, but not his divinity. He never ceased to be God. And having ascended back into heaven, he laid aside his humiliation, but not his humanity. He shall never cease to be a man.
a. That God, who rules the world, is a man, our near kinsman.
b. That God, who rules the world, is yet touched with the feeling our infirmity.
c. That Man who is God upon his throne is able to save all who trust him (Heb. 7:21-28).
III. All Of God's Dealings With His Creation Are Through The Mediation Of Christ. (Col. 1:14-20).
God only deals with men through the Mediator. God the Father has entrusted everything into the hands of his Son, as the Surety of the everlasting covenant. And everything purposed and agreed upon in the covenant is carried out and accomplished through the Son, the Mediator. All the fulness of the Godhead resides in Christ the God-man bodily – (Col. 2:9). And all the glory of the God-head belongs to him.
A. God Created The World Through Christ, The Mediator (John 1:1-3; Heb. 1:1-3). B. God Created Man In The Image Of The Mediator – (Gen. 1:26-28).Adam was created in the moral and physical image of Christ. Though our Lord's human body and soul were actually formed in the womb of the Virgin Mary when he came into this world, that body and soul were virtually prepared in the covenant of grace. When Christ stood as our Surety before the world was made. (Ps. 139:14-17).
1. We were made in the image and likeness of Christ originally.
2. When we fell in Adam, we lost Christ's moral image and likeness.
3. When we are at last with him in glory, we shall be completely restored to the image of God our Savior (Rom. 8:29; I John 3:2).
C. God Rules This World Through Christ, Our Mediator.
It is the Lamb who takes the book and opens its seals. Christ, the Mediator, executes and fulfills all that God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, ordained from eternity – (Heb. 1:3; John 17:2; Heb. 2:8-9).
The Lamb rules the universe from the throne of sovereign dominion according to that which is written in the book of predestination.
D. God Is Known And Revealed In His Creation Only As He Is Known And Revealed In Christ, The Mediator.
We know God only as we know Christ. Do not ever imagine that God can be known, except through Christ the Mediator – (John 1:18). To know Christ is to know God, for he is God. To get Christ is to get God, for he is God – (Col. 2:9-10).
1. Christ is the Truth of God.
2. Christ is the Way to God.
3. Christ is the Life of God.
E. And, Even In The End, God Will Judge All Things By Christ, The God-Man Mediator.
There is a day of judgment and righteous retribution coming, when all men shall stand before God. And that God who shall be our Judge is the Man Christ Jesus, our Mediator (John 5:22-23; Acts 17:31; II Cor. 5:10).
IV. God Receives Honor From His Creatures Only Through Christ The Mediator.
As God only deals with his creation through Christ the Mediator, so also God's creatures deal with him only through Christ the Mediator. Every creature gives "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever." As they honor the Lamb, so they honor the triune God (John 5:23).
There is no coming to God with faith, love and praise, but by Christ the Mediator (John 14:6-7).
A. We Come To God By Christ.We have access to the Father through the Son (Eph. 2:18). This is the characteristic of all true Christians – "They come to God by him" (Heb. 7:25).
We come to God, because we cannot live without him. We have needs and desires that only God can satisfy. But we are sinners; and we dare not approach the Holy God without a suitable Mediator and Advocate, which Christ Jesus is (I John 2:1).
B. We Come To God In Christ.Christ is the great Temple in whom all fulness dwells (Col. 1:19; 2:9). As we call upon Christ, we call upon God. As we draw near to Christ, we draw near to God. As we believe Christ, we believe God. Jesus Christ is God! And we come to him.
1. We come to Christ for pardon and deliverance.
2. We come to Christ for mercy and grace.
3. We come to Christ for strength and help.
4. We come to Christ for communion and fellowship.
5. We come to Christ for comfort and assurance.
6. We come to Christ for reviving and refreshing.
7. We come to Christ in life and in death.
C. And In The End, Every Creature Will Bow Before Christ, The Mediator, And Praise Him As Lord To The Glory Of God The Father.
This is what we see in our text. Everything and everyone in the universe will at last come to Christ, bow before his throne, and show forth his praise (Isa. 45:21-25; Rom. 14:9-12; Phil. 2:9-11).
Come now to God, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Bow down before the august majesty of the Son of God and seek his grace. "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." (Ps. 2:12). Kiss the Son with the lips of repentance and faith. And he will save you. But if you refuse, he will break you with a rod of iron, and dash you in pieces like a potter's vessel.
V. The Mediatorial Kingdom Of Christ Will Come To A Glorious, Climatic End.
The Lord Jesus Christ shall reign as Mediator, until he has subdued all enemies beneath his feet and brought his work to a perfect completion. Then his kingdom will, in this sense, cease (I Cor. 15:24-28).
That simply means, Christ Jesus will bring his Mediatorial work to its glorious fulfillment. His elect, whom he received as a trust from the Father in the covenant of grace, he will present to his Father again, saying "Behold I and the children which God hath given me (Heb. 2:13).
Then we will stand before God as he from old eternity ordained that we should – Holy, Without Blame, Without Spot! Without Wrinkle, Without Blemish, Unreproveable In His Sight! (Eph. 1:4). Then there shall be One fold and One Sheperd, and all his people shall be One in Him! We will have no more sins to confess, no more dangers requiring the care and protection of a Shepherd, no more enemies to be conquered, no more sorrows to be comforted for, no more needs to be supplied, no more weaknesses from which to be delivered! Then the Mediatorial work of Christ will be ended, ended because it is gloriously completed and perfectly fulfilled!
But that does not mean that Christ will be required to give anything up. Oh, no! Far from it! Christ, the Lamb that was slain, will ever be the Head and Lord of his Creation. He will eternally be the Medium by which the light and love of the triune God is communicated to his elect. And God in Christ will be the eternal Object of Our adoration, love and praise. This shall be the climatic end of Christ's mediatorial rule. The glory of the great creator, the splendor of all his perfections shall forever shine with undimmed brightness. "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." This is the reason why God made the world. This was his design when "in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." And his glorious design shall be accomplished! "All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord!"
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