‘And they sung a new song, saying, 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.’—Rev. v. 9.

In the preceding lectures it has been my privilege to direct attention to the important subject of redemption, and I think we cannot do better in closing the series than examine in this lecture what they think of it in heaven. They know there more than we do here, for they have passed within the veil, and they know by experience those great and most blessed results which we can only anticipate in faith. In their case sight has taken the place of hope, and through redeeming grace they are in actual enjoyment of the visible presence of God. Of course, therefore, they are better able than we can be to form a just estimate of what the Lord Jesus has done for their salvation. Let us then devote this morning to the study of what they think of redeeming love.

We all know very well what a natural craving there is to look in beyond the veil, and to see what is passing amongst those who have already entered. What would we give for one half-hour’s intercourse, or for even a telescopic view of that happy assembly now gathered before the throne? What would it be to us if for one short minute we could see the heavens opened? But something of this kind was permitted to St. John, as we read, chap. iv. 1, ‘A door was opened in heaven,’ and a voice said, ‘Come up hither.’ Immediately he was in the Spirit, and having entered he saw some of those very things which we long to see, but which no other living man has ever been able to see, and to report. St. Paul may have seen them when he was caught up to the third heaven, but if he did, he was not permitted to tell us what he saw. But St. John was expressly employed to do so. He was distinctly commanded to write the things which he had seen, and this book is the result.

What, then, did he see? He saw in the first place a throne, and on the throne one sitting. Round about the throne were twenty-four seats, and ‘upon the seats four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.’ But besides the elders there was a marvellous manifestation of spiritual life, inexplicable to us who have no experience of the life of a spirit without the body: for in chap. iv. 6, we read, that ‘in the midst of the throne,’ and round about the throne, were four living ones. These living ones were clearly in the most intimate relationship with the throne and with Him who sat on it. They were as near to it and to Him as was possible, for they were in the midst of it, and round about it, while in an outer circle stood a vast host of angels. From chap. v. 11, we see clearly that these angels were in an outer circle, not so near the throne as the living ones, for there we read: ‘I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living ones, and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.’ In this description the only real difficulty is with reference to the elders and living ones, for we are not distinctly informed who they were. According to the reading of ver. 9 and ver. 10, as given us in our dear old English Bible, it appears perfectly plain that together they formed the company of those whose ransomed souls are now resting before the throne, for they said in their hymn, ‘Thou hast redeemed us by thy blood . . . And hast made us unto our God kings and priests.’ But there seems to be a doubt about that ‘us,’ and, therefore, we must not rely too much on it. But on the whole there is reason to believe that the vast multitude of happy spirits now before God awaiting the resurrection, are represented by this inner circle of elders and living ones already brought as near as possible to the throne, and surrounded by the vast company of angels, who, having been sent forth to minister unto them during their pilgrimage, can rejoice without jealousy in their blessedness, even though they are placed in a position of greater honour than themselves.

But our business in this lecture is not to discuss the persons seen in heaven, but rather to examine what they think of redemption, to learn how far their account of it agrees with our own, and to find in what estimation they hold the redeeming work.

I. Their account, or description of it. Does the account which they give in their hymn agree with the account which we have gathered from the rest of Scripture? I think it does exactly, and I would ask you to notice four points.

(1.) They speak of redemption as a deliverance. We have found throughout the Word of God that to redeem is not merely to make atonement, but to deliver by means of a ransom. In all the passages that we have examined it has included the idea of actual deliverance. It has never been applied to the act of propitiation alone. Now turn to this hymn of the elders and living ones before the throne, and there you see precisely the same idea: ‘Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.’ There was an act of outgathering and ingathering. They were gathered out as a separate people from all nations of the earth, and gathered in to be a peculiar people unto God. The passage reminds us of those words in John, xi. 52, which teach us that the great object of the death of the Lord Jesus was, ‘that he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.’ So this heavenly hymn describes them as being thus gathered in one before the throne.(2.) It is a redemption through the most precious blood of the Lamb.

The deliverance, or the gathering, is not simply an exercise of power, but is the result of atonement by blood. It is not merely the act of the Holy Ghost calling the sinner, but the act of God making atonement, or giving Christ to die for him. Before one soul could be drawn out from the ruin of the world, and gathered in to God, the barrier of the curse must be taken out of the way, and the law satisfied by its complete fulfilment in the Person of our Redeeming Head. Till the ransom was paid not one soul could be set free, and therefore the hymn says, ‘Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.’

(3.) They are raised to a position far above a mere pardon. We learned when we studied the case of Ruth that the redeemed are not merely delivered from ruin, but brought to a position of the highest possible honour, for the ransomed Church becomes the Bride of the Redeemer, and is identified with Christ Himself. So here you observe that the redeemed are not merely forgiven, but they are raised to new honours, new powers, new service, and new glory. ‘Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.’ I have not time to dwell on the sacred blessedness of that royal priesthood. It combines the honours of the king and the service of the priest. It is a kind of reflection of the double office of the Lord Himself, of whom it is said, ‘He shall sit and rule upon his throne, and shall be a priest upon his throne.’ The redeemed are made kings under Him to govern, and priests in Him, and through Him, to present a holy service unto God. Do not be satisfied, therefore, to let your mind dwell exclusively on the first elementary subject of forgiveness. I know the importance of it, and know well that there can be no such thing as peace until you can trust for a pardon. But I am speaking to those who can trust for forgiveness, who have learned the power of redeeming blood, and who are now resting in the assurance of the blotting out of sin. To them I say, Go forward, and accept your new position, acknowledge your high calling, carry out your royal priesthood, and never forget that you are anointed, and set apart as kings and priests unto God.

(4.) This leads me to the fourth point, that we are redeemed unto God.We found from the study of St. Paul’s words to Titus that our most blessed Saviour redeemed us to be a peculiar, or special people unto Himself, so that all God’s redeemed are sanctified, or set apart, unto Him. This is exactly what is taught in the hymn of heaven, for there we learn that we are redeemed, not merely from sin, but unto God. ‘Thou hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood.’ ‘We are made kings and priests unto God.’ It is true of the believer, as it is of the Lord Jesus Himself, that ‘In that he liveth he liveth unto God.’ By atonement every barrier is broken down, and the way of access laid open even to the very throne of God Himself; and by the call of the Holy Ghost we are set apart unto God, to bear His name, to live as His sons, to do His will, to act as His witnesses, and to be as it were His representatives in the midst of a wicked world. We are not redeemed simply in order that we may be saved, but in order also that God may be glorified. As God’s chosen people we are brought near to God Himself, in order that we may go forth into life, to glorify His name.

II. It is clear, therefore, that the account given in heaven of the work of redemption is exactly the same as that which is taught us throughout the word of God. Let us pass on to consider what is the heavenly estimate of the sacred work, or in other words, What do they think of it there? What value do they set on it?

First. What do the elders and the living ones think of it? The chapter contains the description of a remarkable scene in connexion with a certain book, which was seen in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne. A strong angel proclaims with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?’ But ‘no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof.’ There was something so sacred about it, that no man was found worthy even to look on it, and the result was that St. John wept much. Some people seem to care very little whether the book of God is closed or not; but he shed many tears when the sacred book seemed closed to his view. But one of those elders who sat around the throne said, ‘Weep not: behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.’ So he beheld. He looked for the Lion, but when he looked there stood a Lamb, a Lamb as it had been slain, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer; and He came, and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat on the throne. It was this that called forth this hymn of praise from the living ones, and that led them to sing a new song, saying, ‘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.’ Now observe that hymn, and note carefully what it was that in their sight constituted the worthiness of the Lamb. It was not His Divine Sonship; not His pre-existence as God; not His eternal and unspotted perfection; not His present exaltation to the right hand of the Father’s throne: but it was the fact that, in order to redeem, He had been slain. It was the great act of redemption that gave Him a worthiness far beyond that of any other either in heaven or earth. He was honoured with an honour far above anything ever known, even in heaven, and the reason was that as a Redeemer He had died. If you ask, then, What is heaven’s estimate of redemption? the answer is, That it is thought there to be so gracious, so wonderful, so divine, that it brings more honour to the Lord Jesus than all the other glories of His most glorious eternity.

But what do the angels think of it? They are disinterested witnesses. If the living ones are the spirits resting before the throne, they have been saved by it; and, therefore, of course they have their deep personal interest in it. But it is not so with the angels. They never fell, so they have had no need of redemption, and can only regard it as a work wrought out for others. But there is no selfishness apparent in their spirit. I often think that the great charm of the angels’ character is their complete unselfishness. So there was nothing selfish about their song, for though they were only lookers-on, or rather ministers, though they could not say, as we can, ‘Thou hast redeemed us,’ though not one of their number was saved through the redeeming blood, yet the whole vast multitude joined heart and soul in the adoration of redeeming mercy, and as soon as the hymn of the living ones was brought to a close, they all burst forth in their own song of praise, and said with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.’But the worship did not stop even with them. St. Paul teaches us that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, for the whole is affected by the fall; and that a time is coming when, through redeeming grace, the creature itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. No wonder, then, that creation itself is here represented as taking part in the joy of redemption. The whole creation is described as catching the spirit of praise. The living ones and the angels were not allowed to have a monopoly of thanksgiving, and, therefore, as soon as the angels’ hymn was ended there was a grand outburst of praise from the whole creation of God: ‘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 honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.’

And now, dear brethren, what shall we do? Shall we go home indifferent to the subject? Shall we, whose life depends altogether on redemption leave it as a thing uncared for? Shall there be no note of praise from us? Ye that know redeeming grace, shall there be no hymn of praise from you? Surely we must not wait till we see Him on the throne, and hear the hymn of the living ones. Those who are on earth according to this passage are to join in the chorus, so we will lose no time in doing so; and before we leave the church we will unite in the grand old hymn—

‘Come, let us join our cheerful songs
With angels round the throne;
Ten thousand thousand are their tongues,
But all their joys are one.

Worthy the Lamb that died, they cry,
To be exalted thus;
Worthy the Lamb our lips reply,
For he was slain for us.’