Jesus was the lamb our leader

JESUS WAS THE LAMB OUR LEADER
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Revelation14:4 4
These are those who did not defile
themselves with women, for they remained virgins.
They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were
purchasedfrom among mankind and offered as
firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Greater Salvation
Revelation 14:4
S. Conway Firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. From this and the many like expressions which
are scattered over the New Testament, we gather that there is a salvation greater and less. For
here it is said that these hundred and forty-four thousand are "firstfruits." Therefore we learn -
I. WHAT THESE ARE NOT.
1. They are not all the saved. The very word indicates that there is much more to follow. They
are but the beginning. Nor:
2. Are these firstfruits the mass of the saved. True, a large number is named, but what is that
compared with the "great multitude that no man can number, out of every," etc.?
II. WHAT THEY ARE. The word "firstfruits" teaches us that these thus named are:
1. The pledge of all the rest. Thus Christ has "become the Firstfruits of them that slept" (1
Corinthians 15:20). He is the pledge and guarantee that in him "all shall be made alive." And so
the natural firstfruits of corn guaranteed the rest of the harvest. For the same sun, and all other
nurturing forces which had ripened the firstfruits, were there ready to do the same kindly office
for all the rest. And so we are told, "The Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead shall
also quicken your mortal bodies." The same power is present for both the first and after fruits.

2. The pattern and representative of all the rest. Compare the first and after fruits. In the main
they were alike; and so in the spiritual world also. But:
3. The firstfruits were pre-eminent over the rest. They were specially presented to God, and held
in honour; so was it with the natural grain. But, without question, there is pre-eminence implied
in being the firstfruits of the heavenly harvest.
(1) In time. Theirs is "the first resurrection," of which we read in Revelation 20. - that
resurrection of the dead which St. Paul calls "the resurrection," and "the mark" towards which he
pressed, if by any means he might attain unto it (Philippians 3.). "The rest of the dead lived not
again until the thousand years," etc. (cf. Revelation 20.).
(2) In honour. St. Paul called it "the prize of our high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Now, a
prize implies special honour. And our Lord tells us that there is a "first" and "last" in the
kingdom of heaven; "a least" and "a greatest." "One star differeth from another star in glory."
There is "an entrance administered abundantly," and there is a "being saved so as by fire." As
here there is no dead level of reward, so we might believe, and we are taught, that there is none
such in heaven. Infinite mischief is done by the belief that all will be equally blessed, equally
honoured, equally like God. It is as if we had adopted the creed of Ecclesiastes, where we are
told, "One end cometh alike to all," instead of St. Paul's, who tells us, "What a man soweth that"
- not something else - "shall he also reap," in quantity and quality too.
(3) In service. That they were pre-eminent here, who that knows their history on earth, or reads
even this book, will question?
(4) In character. See how they are described as to their spiritual purity, their unreserved
consecration, their separateness from the world, their guilelessness and freedom from all deceit.
(5) In the approval of God. Of them it is written, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection" (Revelation 20.). How could it be otherwise than that such as they should stand
highest upon the steps of the everlasting throne, and nearest God and the Lamb?
4. They are the elect of God. In another part of this book they are spoken of as "the called, and
chosen, and faithful." They answer to the description of God's chosen, and so we learn that
"whilst all the elect are saved, all the saved are not. elect" (Alford). All are not firstfruits,
greatest, first, in the kingdom of heaven. The very words imply order, gradation, rank. But it is
for us to take heed as to -
III. WHAT WE SHOULD STRIVE TO BE. There are some who say that they will be content if
they can only "get just inside the door of heaven " - such is the phrase. This sounds very humble
minded, and if it be so, then those who thus speak are just those who would not be content with
any such place. For, and to their credit be it said, they are such as desire to be like their Lord - to
resemble him, to possess his Spirit, and to please him in all things. But if they desire, or will be
content with, the lowest place in heaven, they must get rid of all these beautiful and blessed
qualities. But rather than this they would die. Too often, however, the phrase is but a substitute
for diligence and faithful following of Christ. They are content to be but little like their Lord;
they do not follow after holiness in the fear of God; they are the worldly hearted, those the least
worthy of the Christian name. But who would be content to be as these? Who would not be in
full sympathy with St. Paul, who said, "I labour... to be accepted of him" (2 Corinthians 5:9)?
Ours, then, is to be not contented with any lowest place - if we be, there is grave doubt whether
we ever attain to that - but to "press toward the mark for the prize of our high calling of God in
Christ Jesus." - S.C.

Biblical Illustrator
Thrust in thy sickle, and reap.
Revelation 14:14-20
The harvest and the vintage
S. Conway, B. A.It is held by many that both these refer to the same fact of God's judgment
against sin and sinners. And no doubt, at times, the "harvest" does mean such judgment (Joel
3:13; Jeremiah 51:33). In Matthew 13. both harvests — that of good and evil alike — are told of.
"Let both grow together until," etc. Still more commonly the figure stands for the people of God
and their ingathering into His blessed presence. And we think that here, whilst there can be no
doubt as to what the vintage means, the "harvest" does not mean the same, but that gathering of
"the wheat into His garner" which shall one day most surely be accomplished. For see the
preface (ver. 13) to this vision. It speaks of the blessed dead and their rest. And but for the plain
pointing out that the vintage did not refer to them, that also would have been so understood. And
the Lord Jesus Christ — for He is meant — is Himself the Reaper (ver. 14), Himself thrusts in
the sickle (ver. 16), whilst the vintage of judgment is assigned to an angel (ver. 17), indicating
that it is a different work from the other. And the figure itself, the harvest, the precious corn fully
ripe, belongs generally and appropriately to that which is also precious and an object of delight,
as is the company of His people to the Lord whose they are. It is not the time of the harvest, but
the corn of the harvest, which is spoken of here, and this is ever the type of good, and not evil.
Thus understood, let us note —
I. THE HARVEST. "The harvest of the earth." This tells of —
1. The multitude of God's people. Who can count the ears of corn even in one harvest-field? how
much less in the harvest of the whole earth?
2. The preciousness of them. What could we do without the literal harvest of the earth? Our all,
humanly speaking, depends upon it.
3. The joy of God in them. "They shall joy before Thee with the joy of harvest."
4. The care that has been needed and given.
5. The "long patience" that has been exercised. Who but God could be so patient? We often cry,
"How long, O Lord, how long?" But He waits — and we must learn the like lesson — for the
harvest of the earth, for that which is being ripened in our own soul.
6. The evidence of ripeness. We know of the natural harvest that it is ripe by the grain assuming
its golden hue. And when it is thus with the people of God, when the golden light of the Sun of

Righteousness shines on them and they are transformed thereby, then the evidence of ripeness is
seen, and the season for the sickle has come.
7. God will certainly gather in His people. "Harvest shall not fail"; nor shall this harvest either.
"Look up, lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
II. THE VINTAGE. Under the altar on which was "the fire," over which the angel told of in ver.
18 "had power," were the souls of them that had been slain for the testimony of Jesus (Revelation
6:9). They had asked, "How long, O Lord dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them
that dwell on the earth?" And now the answer is given. The vintage of vengeance has begun. For
the "grapes" of the "vine of the earth" are fully ripe. It is the judgment of the whole earth, when
"all nations" shall be gathered (Matthew 25.) before the Son of Man. The square of four — four
ever the symbol of the earth — amplified by hundreds, the "one thousand and six hundred
furlongs" of ver. 20, likewise point to the universality of this awful judgment. Minor fulfilments
— presages, predictions, and patterns of the final judgment — of these there have been many and
will be many; but in this vintage of vengeance upon the world's sin all are summed up and
fulfilled. But will there be any such event at all?
1. Men have ever felt that there ought to be such judgment.
2. And now it is declared that such judgment shall be. Conscience assents to it.
3. Human law and justice strive after right judgment.
4. And the judgments that come now on ungodly nations, communities, and individuals are all in
proof.
(S. Conway, B. A.)
A coronation sermon
G. Clayton.I. THE ILLUSTRIOUS PERSONAGE INTENDED. This we conceive to be no other
than the Lord Jesus Christ, the exalted Messiah, who, for the suffering of death, was made a little
lower than the angels, and is now crowned with glory and honour.
1. His characteristic designation — "The Son of Man." This was the form or similitude He wore.
The manhood of Christ is exalted to the throne of Deity.
2. His high exaltation. He is said to be throned on the clouds of heaven, and dignified with the
highest honours.
3. The insignia appropriate to His office. He is advanced to the dignity and authority of a king,
and therefore is invested with a crown of gold, and a sickle — an emblem of power, answering to
a sceptre or sword, but put in this form, as having a relation to the service which was
immediately to be performed in reaping the harvest of the earth. These are the regalia of His
kingly office.
II. THE MAGNIFICENT APPEARANCE HE ASSUMED.
1. He is seated on a white cloud. On a cloud, to betoken His elevation and empire. On a white
cloud, to signify the immaculate purity of His nature, as the Holy One of God; the
unimpeachable rectitude of His administrations, transparent as the fleecy vapour of which these
visible heavens are composed; and the blessed consequences of His government, when purity
shall be universally established, and "white-robed Innocence," returning to our forsaken world,
shall take place of fraud and rapine, violence and blood. Furthermore, on this luminous cloud He

is said to have been seated, as on a throne, expressing at once the high dignity and perfect repose
which He enjoys.
2. On His head was a golden crown. The crown is an emblem of empire and dominion, and a
crown of pure gold fitly represents the validity of His title, and the honour and glory by which
He is encircled.
3. In His hand there is a sharp sickle. This I apprehend to be an emblem of His judicial authority
and retributive vengeance. To Him the Father hath given authority to execute judgment, because
He is the Son of Man, and hath put all things into His hands. What havoc and slaughter shall be
made by the sharp sickle, with which He is invested, when His irreclaimable enemies shall be
made the helpless victims of His inexorable indignation! When the great day of His wrath is
come, who shall be able to stand?
III. THE PRACTICAL LESSONS INCULCATED BY THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE
SUBJECT.
1. We infer the high and honourable conceptions we should form and entertain of the Lord
Christ.
2. We infer that, "before honour is humility."
3. Let us learn how important it is to ascertain whether we are among the subjects of this exalted
Prince.
4. Let us learn to rejoice in the perfection of His administration.
5. Let us learn how terrible will be the final doom of all the enemies of this mighty Prince.
6. If such be the advantages and pleasures connected with the sight and contemplation of a
glorified Saviour in this world, what will the beatific vision include? To see Him as He is,
without the interposition of any obscuring veil, any dense medium!
(G. Clayton.)
The harvest of the earth
R. Tuck, B. A.The expression is a singular and, indeed, a striking one.
I. GOD PREPARED THE EARTH FOR HIS SEEDING. Scientific men may wrangle over the
ages and order of creation. It is enough for us to know that, at a given time, God had prepared the
earth to be the scene of a moral trial for a new race of beings. The farmer cleans, and ploughs,
and manures, and harrows, and ridges, his fields, in precise adaptation to the crop that he intends
to grow upon it; and earth is the prepared field of God, made ready for His sowing.
II. GOD SEEDS HIS PREPARED EARTH WITH MEN. Scattering the seed all over the earth,
that man's probation may be carried on under every varying condition of soil, and landscape, and
climate, and relationship. God keeps on seeding the earth with men; every seed with a great
possibility in it; every seed set where its possibility may freely unfold, and where the God-
provided influences all tend to the nourishment of all its best possibilities. Men, men everywhere
are the seed of God. They are quick with Divine life, and sown in the earth to grow into a harvest
for God.
III. THE HARVEST GOD SEEKS FROM HIS SEEDING IS CHARACTER. God sows His
earth with moral beings, in the hope of reaping moral character. But what is moral character? It
is the proper fruitage of the earth-experience of moral beings. But can we understand it a little

more fully than that? A moral being is one that can recognise a distinction between good and
evil, and, when the distinction is seen, can choose for itself which it will have, the good or the
evil. But a moral being must be put into such circumstances as will offer it the choice between
good and evil. And substantially the test amounts to this: good is doing what is known to be the
will of the Creator: evil is doing the will of the moral being himself, when that is known to be
not the will of the Creator. The story of a life is the story of that conflict. It is the growth, through
the long months, of God's seed into the "full corn in the ear" of established moral character. It is
the unfolding of what God would gather in from His seeding of men, the righteousness of the
accepted will of God. One thing only does man take through the great gates — the character that
he has gained. It is the full ear that heads the stalk, and ripens for the reaper.
IV. GOD HAS ANXIOUS TIMES WHILE HIS SEED OF MEN IS GROWING INTO HIS
HARVEST OF CHARACTER. Every blade that breaks the earth in the farmer's field has to fight
for its life with varied foes: insects, worms, mildew, rust, living creatures, varying temperatures,
crowding weeds; the growth of every blade to stalk and ear is a hard-won victory. The stalk can
do its best, and be its best, only at the cost of unceasing struggle and watchfulness. And the field
of earth is but a type of the world of men. Every character is the product of a stern experience,
the issue of a hundred fights; a triumph from an unceasing struggle. The problem of each man's
dealings with his surroundings — helpful be they, or injurious — God is intensely interested in.
He is anxious as the farmer is anxious over his growing blades. The one thing of profoundest
interest to God is the making of characters in His great earth-fields. Be it so; then a fact of
infinite sadness has to be faced. The issue is disappointing, for God's harvest-hope of reaping
character from His sowing of men is only partially fulfilled.
(R. Tuck, B. A.)
The twin mysteries: life and death
J. Stoughton.I. THE TRUE THEORY OF A GOOD MAN'S LIFE RIPENING FOR THE
HARVEST. Did you ask, while you saw the farmer plodding his weary way, what means that
sowing? Did you ask, as you saw the wind and the snow fulfilling the word of a higher power,
what means the white flake and the rough blast? You have now the plainest answer in the
growing of the corn. And if you again inquire, What is it growing for? the harvest will explain
that. When the ear has been well filled, and the heat hath ripened and moulded the wheat, and the
golden treasures are gathered home amid the reapers' song of joy, and the barns are filled with
plenty, the result will sufficiently explain the theory of agricultural toil and of natural influences.
And in like manner the growth of the soul explains the moral discipline of life; and the harvest of
souls in heaven explains their growth on earth. The days we spend at present are all days of
discipline. Now, is this the theory of your life? Are you conscious of such growth and ripening?
"No," says some poor, timid, cast-down Christian, "there is no growth, no ripening in me; my
heart is as hard and cold as ever it can be." But, are you not conscious of resisting temptation?
You cannot deny that you are fighting against sin. H you cannot boast of any good, and have a
great deal of evil to lament, still you can conscientiously admit that if you did not make a
decided stand you would have a great deal more of evil than you have at present. And is there not
hope in that fact — that casting off of evil, and striving and praying and wishing to get rid of
spiritual death? — is not that a sign of spiritual life, of spiritual growth, at least in its earliest
stage? Thank God, there is hope. It is God working in you; He will not fail to watch over you for
your good.

II. THE TRUE THEORY OF DEATH as illustrated by the text. First of all, it is never premature.
If the wicked are not cut down until they are ripe for judgment, we cannot believe that God's
people are cut down till they are ripe for glory. Fitness for heaven, be it remembered, consists not
in the particular state of mind in which a man may happen to be when the death-stroke overtakes
him. It does not depend upon his being in a state of religious consciousness. No; it depends upon
the habits in previous life, upon the principle of his previous history. Nor shall we be dismissed
till we have had full opportunity of doing all that the Master intends us to do. There are different
degrees of service, even as there are varied kinds of service. The terms of service are sometimes
long and sometimes short. Nor forget that there may be much living to good purpose when the
length of life has been very limited. We often measure life by length. Does not God measure it
by depth and breadth? We look at quantity, does not He look at quality? The harvest is never
premature, and is always carefully gathered in, and nothing lost. There is something very
instructive in the signs of careful preparation for the harvest, which are indicated in the text.
Before it is commenced, a voice announces the arrival of the time, and the purpose is calmly and
deliberately executed. In the death harvest there is no haste and nothing lost. "Of all that the
Father hath given Me," said Christ, "have I lost nothing." He is as careful of what there is of
value in the soul as of the soul itself. How very apt are we to fancy, when such an one is
suddenly cut off, that the great stores of his mind are wasted, that his acquirements by study and
discipline are now lose to him. No, no, we may rely upon it, that there is not anything worth
carrying into the eternal world that that sanctified soul will leave behind it; not one noble
affection but is nobler than it ever was; not one great principle but it is stronger in the soul than
ever, not one spiritual habit but it has grown in force, not one true excellence but it excels in
beauty. And the harvest gathered in without less is preserved afterwards without loss: "Gather
the wheat into My garner." Corn is laid up to be preserved; but that is not all, it is also laid up
that it may be used. At the death harvest, the soul is placed for ever beyond the reach of harm.
The accidents to which it was exposed while growing, the moral frost, and blight, and mildew,
and the blast of the lightning, they are all among the former things, and have passed away. But
the soul is preserved where it will be of greater use than it ever was. The best use of the corn
comes when it is cut. All before was subordinate usefulness, beautifying the landscape and
furnishing subjects for poets and painters; but when it is cut, it feeds and sustains the nations. So
the best use of the soul and its acquirements will be in heaven, not here.
(J. Stoughton.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(4, 5) These are they . . .—The characteristics of the
servants of the Lamb are given in this verse and the following. The first is purity: they are
virgins. The expression can hardly be limited to the unmarried, as the 144,000 represent the wide
society of the choice ones of God. They are those whose hearts have been made as the hearts of

little children (Matthew 18:1-4), who have that purity of heart which Christ declared to be
blessed, and which St. James declared to be the first mark of heavenly wisdom (Matthew 5:8,
and James 3:17). The next is implicit obedience: they follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.
Some, indeed, take this to be a kind of heavenly reward: they shall be the nearer companions of
the Lamb. But it is better to take it as describing their complete consecration to Christ. They are
those who are with Christ, who have tasted the cup that their Lord tasted, and have taken up their
cross and followed Him (Matthew 20:22; Luke 14:27; John 12:24-26). It is well to weigh these
words; it is in the “wheresoever” that we may test the reality of our Christian life. Here lies the
cross that Christ bids us take up. Here is the echo of Christ’s words, “Whosoever forsaketh not
all he hath cannot be My disciple.” The third mark is separation, or unworldliness: they were
purchased from among men, as a firstfruit to God and to the Lamb. They were a chosen
generation, a peculiar people (Titus 2:14; 1Peter 2:9), as the Israel of God (Deuteronomy 7:6).
The fourth feature is utter truthfulness: in their mouth no guile or no falsehood. (Comp. Psalms
14 and Deuteronomy 32:1-2.) The verse emphatically ends with “They are blameless.” The
words “before the throne of God” must be omitted. (Comp. Revelation 7:14-15; Ephesians 5:27;
and Colossians 1:22.)
We have seen the servants of God; we have marked their character; we are now to see the
weapon which is to be employed in the conflict against the enemies of Christ.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary14:1-5 Mount Sion is the gospel church. Christ is with his
church, and in the midst of her in all her troubles, therefore she is not consumed. His presence
secures perseverance. His people appear honourably. They have the name of God written in their
foreheads; they make a bold and open profession of their faith in God and Christ, and this is
followed by suitable actings. There were persons in the darkest times, who ventured and laid
down their lives for the worship and truth of the gospel of Christ. They kept themselves clean
from the wicked abominations of the followers of antichrist. Their hearts were right with God;
and they were freely pardoned in Christ; he is glorified in them, and they in him. May it be our
prayer, our endeavour, our ambition, to be found in this honourable company. Those who are
really sanctified and justified are meant here, for no hypocrite, however plausible, can be
accounted to be without fault before God.
Barnes' Notes on the BibleThese are they - In this verse, and in the following verse, the writer
states the leading characteristics of those who are saved. The general idea is, that they are chaste;
that they are the followers of the Lamb; that they are redeemed from among people; and that they
are without guile.
Which were not defiled with women - Who were chaste. The word "defiled" here determines the
meaning of the passage, as denoting that they were not guilty of illicit sexual intercourse with
women. It is unnecessary to show that this is a virtue everywhere required in the Bible, and
everywhere stated as among the characteristics of the redeemed. On no point are there more
frequent exhortations in the Scriptures than on this; on no point is there more solicitude
manifested that the professed friends of the Saviour should be without blame. Compare the Acts
15:20 note; Romans 1:24-32 notes; 1 Corinthians 6:18 note; Hebrews 13:4 note. See also 1
Corinthians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 6:13; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1
Thessalonians 4:3. This passage cannot be adduced in favor of celibacy, whether among the
clergy or laity, or in favor of monastic principles in any form; for the thing that is specified is,
that they were not "defiled with women," and a lawful connection of the sexes, such as marriage,

is not defilement. See the notes on Hebrews 13:4. The word rendered here "defiled" -
ἐμολύνθησαν emolunthēsan, from μολύνω molunō - is a word that cannot be applied to the
marriage relation. It means properly to "soil, to stain, to defile." 1 Corinthians 8:7; "their
conscience being weak, is defiled." Revelation 3:4; "which have not defiled their garments." The
word does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament, except in the passage before us, and it will
be seen at once that it cannot be applied to that which is lawful and proper, and consequently that
it cannot be construed as an expression against marriage and in favor of celibacy. It is a word
that is properly expressive of illicit sexual intercourse - of impurity and unchastity of life - and
the statement is, that they who are saved are not impure and unchaste.
For they are virgins - παρθένοι parthenoi. This is the masculine form, but this form is found in
the later Greek and in the Christian fathers. See Suidas and Suicer, Thes. The meaning of the
word, when found in the feminine form, is well understood. It denotes a virgin, a maiden, and
thence it is used to denote what is chaste and pure: virgin modesty; virgin gold; virgin soil; virgin
blush; virgin shame. The word in the masculine form must have a similar meaning as applied to
men, and may denote:
(a) those who are unmarried;
(b) those who are chaste and pure in general.
The word is applied by Suidas to Abel and Melchizedek. "The sense," says DeWette, in loco,
"cannot be that all these 144,000 had lived an unmarried life; for how could the apostle Peter,
and others who were married, have been excluded? But the reference must be to those who held
themselves from all impurity - "unkeuschheit und hurerei" - which, in the view of the apostles,
was closely connected with idolatry." Compare Bleek, Beitr. i. 185. Prof. Stuart supposes that the
main reference here is to those who had kept themselves from idolatry, and who were thus pure.
It seems to me, however, that the most obvious meaning is the correct one, that it refers to the
redeemed as chaste, and thus brings into view one of the prominent things in which Christians
are distinguished from the devotees of nearly every other form of religion, and, indeed,
exclusively from the world at large. This passage, also, cannot be adduced in favor of the
monastic system, because:
(a) whatever may be said anywhere of the purity of virgins, there is no such commendation of it
as to imply that the married life is impure;
(b) it cannot be supposed that God meant in any way to reflect on the married life as in itself
impure or dishonorable;
(c) the language does not demand such an interpretation; and,
(d) the facts in regard to the monastic life have shown that it has had very little pretensions to a
claim of virgin purity.
These are they which follow the Lamb - This is another characteristic of those who are redeemed
- that they are followers of the Lamb of God. That is, they are his disciples; they imitate his
example; they obey his instructions; they yield to his laws; they receive him as their counselor
and their guide. See the notes on John 10:3, John 10:27.
Whithersoever he goeth - As sheep follow the shepherd. Compare Psalm 23:1-2. It is one
characteristic of true Christians that they follow the Saviour wherever he leads them. Be it into
trouble, into danger, into difficult duty; be it in Christian or pagan lands; be it in pleasant paths,

or in roads rough and difficult, they commit themselves wholly to his guidance, and submit
themselves wholly to his will.
These were redeemed from among men - This is another characteristic of those who are seen on
Mount Zion. They are there because they are redeemed, and they have the character of the
redeemed. They are not there in virtue of rank or blood John 1:13; not on the ground of their own
works Titus 3:5; but because they are redeemed unto God by the blood of his Son. See the notes
on Revelation 5:9-10. None will be there of whom it cannot be said that they are "redeemed";
none will be absent who have been truly redeemed from sin.
Being the first-fruits unto God - On the meaning of the word "first-fruits," see the notes on 1
Corinthians 15:20. The meaning here would seem to be, that the hundred and forty-four thousand
were not to be regarded as the whole of the number that was saved, but that they were
representatives of the redeemed. They had the same characteristics which all the redeemed must
have; they were a pledge that all the redeemed would be there. Prof. Stuart supposes that the
sense is, that they were, as it were, "an offering especially acceptable to God." The former
explanation, however, meets all the circumstances of the case, and is more in accordance with
the usual meaning of the word.
continued...
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary4. virgins—spiritually (Mt 25:1); in contrast to the
apostate Church, Babylon (Re 14:8), spiritually "a harlot" (Re 17:1-5; Isa 1:21; contrast 2Co
11:2; Eph 5:25-27). Their not being defiled with women means they were not led astray from
Christian faithfulness by the tempters who jointly constitute the spiritual "harlot."
follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth—in glory, being especially near His person; the fitting
reward of their following Him so fully on earth.
redeemed—"purchased."
being the—rather, "as a first-fruit." Not merely a "first-fruit" in the sense in which all believers
are so, but Israel's 144,000 elect are the first-fruit, the Jewish and Gentile elect Church is the
harvest; in a further sense, the whole of the transfigured and translated Church which reigns with
Christ at His coming, is the first-fruit, and the consequent general ingathering of Israel and the
nations, ending in the last judgment, is the full and final harvest.
Matthew Poole's CommentaryThese are they which were not defiled with women; for they are
virgins; that is, that would not comply with antichristian idolatry and superstition; for idolatry is
all along in holy writ compared to whoredom and fornication.
Which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth; that follow the Lord Christ fully, in all things
keeping close to the rules of worship and life which he hath given.
These were redeemed from among men; these show themselves to be redeemed by the blood of
Christ from the vain conversation of men, whether towards God, in matters of worship, or
towards men.
Being the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb; that are consecrated to, and accepted of God, as
the first-fruits were, being the only part of the world that are not profane.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThese are they which were not defiled with women,.... With
the whore of Rome, and her harlots, she is the mother of; while the kings and inhabitants of the
earth were drunk with the wine of their fornication, or committed idolatry with them, which is
spiritual fornication, and is here meant by being defiled with them, these were free from such
pollutions, or idolatrous practices:
for they are virgins; for their beauty and comeliness in Christ, chastity, sincerity of their love,
uncorruptness in doctrine and worship, and for the uprightness of conversation; See Gill on
Matthew 25:1;
these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth; as the sheep follow the shepherd
of the flock, and which is a character of Christ's sheep, John 10:4. These follow Christ in the
exercise of the graces of humility, patience, and love; and in the performance of the several
duties of religion, and subjection to ordinances, and in the path of sufferings; and in every way in
which Christ the Lamb has gone before them, or in his word and providence leads and directs
them to, whether it be grateful to the flesh or not; particularly they follow where he is preached,
and his Word and ordinances are faithfully administered; and they follow him to heaven, where
he is: it was part of the oath taken by the Roman soldiers, ' , "to follow the generals wherever
they should lead" (n), to which it is thought there is an allusion here; see 2 Samuel 15:21;
these were redeemed from among men; "by Jesus", as the Syriac and Arabic versions add, and so
the Complutensian edition; by the blood of Christ, for all men are not redeemed by it; and in
consequence of this they were called, and delivered from this present evil world, and the men of
it, and from a vain, wicked, and idolatrous conversation with it:
being the firstfruits unto God, and to the Lamb; in allusion to the firstfruits under the law, which
represented and sanctified the lump, and showed that harvest was coming; so these persons are
called the firstfruits to God, and to the Lamb, being called by grace, and consecrated to their
worship and service, with reference to the harvest of souls, or that large number of them which
will be gathered in during the spiritual reign of Christ, which these persons will be at the
beginning of; and as those who are first called and converted in a country or nation are said to be
the firstfruits of it, Romans 16:5; so these being the first, in the period of time to which respect is
had, bear this name; and as the converted Jews received the firstfruits of the Spirit, on the day of
Pentecost, and at other times, so these will receive the firstfruits of the far greater pouring forth
of the Spirit in the latter day, which will begin, and usher in the kingdom of Christ; see Romans
8:23.
(n) Vid. Lydii Dissert. de Jurament. c. 2. p. 258.
Geneva Study BibleAnd I looked, and, lo, a Lamb {1} stood on the mount Sion, and with him
{2} an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's {3} name written in their foreheads.
(1) The history of the Church of Christ being finished for more than a 1300 years at which time
Boniface the eighth lived as has been said: there remains the rest of the history of the conflicting
or militant church, from there to the time of the last victory in three chapters. For first of all, as
the foundation of the whole history, is described the standing of the Lamb with his army and
retinue in five verses, after his worthy acts which he has done and yet does in most mighty
manner, while he overthrows Antichrist with the spirit of his mouth, in the rest of this chapter
and in the two following. To the description of the Lamb, are propounded three things: his
situation, place and attendance: for the rest are expounded in the former visions, especially in the
fifth chapter.

(2) Prepared to do his office see Ac 7:56, in the midst of the church, which mount Zion pictured
before.
(3) This retinue of the Lamb is described first by divine mark
(as before in) Re 7:2 in this verse. Then by divine occupation, in that every one in his retinue
most earnestly and sweetly Re 14:2 glorify the Lamb with a special song before God and his
elect angels. Flesh and blood cannot hear this song, nor understand, Re 14:3. Lastly by their
deeds done before, and their sanctification in that they were virgins, pure from spiritual and
bodily fornication, that is, from impiety and unrighteousness. They followed the Lamb as a guide
to all goodness, cleaved to him and are holy to him, as by grace redeemed by him. In truth and
simplicity of Christ they have exercised all these things, sanctimony of life, the guidance of the
Lamb, a thankful remembrance of redemption by him and finally (to conclude in a word) they
are blameless before the Lord, Re 14:4,5.
EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT CommentaryHYPERLINK "/context/revelation/14-4.htm"Revelation 14:4-5. John
describes the one hundred and forty-four thousand as a select number surpassing all other
believers in moral perfection. The understanding of this description depends principally upon the
proper arrangement and framing of the individual expressions. At the beginning and at the close
two special points stand (Revelation 14:4 : οὑτοι εἰσιν οῖ μετὰ γυναικῶν οὐκ ἐμολύνθησαν;
Revelation 14:5 : καὶ ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν οὐχ εὑρέθη ψεῦδος); here, where the subject pertains
to the past earthly life of those who have died, the aor. necessarily stands. In both cases the
conclusion is by formulæ framed precisely in like manner (Revelation 14:4 : παρθένοι γάρ εἰσιν;
Revelation 14:5 : ἄμωμοι γάρ εἰσιν); but here, where an advance is made from the definite actual
preservation of the deceased, to their proper nature and permanent condition, the present
necessarily occurs. Between the two double-membered sentences, in the beginning and at the
close, there are besides two sentences, which are thereby exhibited as independent of one another
and the beginning and closing sentences, in that they both commence with the special
designation of the subject (οὖτοι), and that the first expresses something present (οὖτ. εἰσιν οἱ
ἀκολ.), but the second something past, completed in the earthly life (οὖτ. ἠγοράσθησαν, cf.
Revelation 14:3). Hofmann[3445] is the first expositor who keeps in view the disposition of
Revelation 14:4-5; but he misjudges it by regarding the παρθένοι γάρ εἰσιν as immediately
attracted to the succeeding words. The disposition attempted now also by Ew. ii., whereby three
members appear (1. οὐτοί εἰσ., κ.τ.λ.; 2. οὖτ. εἰσ., κ.τ.λ.; 3. καὶ ἐν τ. στόμ., κ.τ.λ.), is in violation
of the context.
οἱ μετὰ γυναικῶν οὑκ ἐμολύνθησαν. According to Leviticus 15:18, the sexual union in itself,
even that in wedlock, was regarded as defiling.[3446]
ΠΑΡΘΈΝΟΙ. This predicate was not seldom ascribed also to men.[3447] In order to avoid the
thoughts forced from the word, and not seldom made the best of by Catholic interpreters in the
sense of monastic asceticism,[3448] it is regarded either directly as figurative,[3449] and
referring to spiritual purity, especially to abstaining from the worship of idols,[3450] or, if we
abide by the proper sense of the words, to sexual purity, as an example of all virtues.[3451]
Hofm. attempts to remove the difficulty by saying that the declaration is concerning believers of
the last time,[3452] to whom celibacy will become a moral necessity, because of the special
circumstances of those times. But nothing is said here concerning Christians of that time. The

expedient of Bleek[3453] and De Wette, who regard it as referring to abstinence from all
lewdness, as it was ordinarily combined with the worship of idols, is forbidden by the expression
μετὰ τ. γυναικῶν, which is altogether general.
Nothing else seems to remain than with Augustine,[3454] Jerome,[3455] Beda, Andr., to explain
it in the proper sense, and to acknowledge the idea, to which also other points in the text
lead,[3456] that entire abstinence from all sexual intercourse belongs to the distinguished
holiness of that one hundred and forty-four thousand,[3457] because of which they enjoy also
distinguished blessedness. [See Note LXXV., p. 404.] This is declared by the words immediately
following: οὖτοι εἰσιν οἱ ἀκολουθοῦντες τῷ ἀρνίῳ ὅπου ἂν ὑπάγει. There is generally found here
a description of the obedience of believers who follow the Lamb even to the cross and to
death;[3458] but because of the present tense, which here expresses the present condition,—
while the holy manifestation in the earthly life is designated by the aor.,—there can be meant
only a description of the blessed reward which those who have died are enjoying[3459] with the
Lamb.[3460] It is meant that everywhere whither the Lamb goes, there that chosen one hundred
and forty-four thousand accompany him; whether it be that a certain space in heaven remain
inaccessible to other saints, or that the latter do not form the constant retinue of the Lamb, at
least not in the same way as the former.
ΟὙΤΟΙ ἨΓΟΡΆΣΘΗΣΑΝ Ἀ̓ΠῸ ΤῶΝ ἈΝΘΡΏΠΩΝ ἈΠΑΡΧῊ Τῷ Θ., Κ.Τ.Λ. What applies to
all the redeemed, viz., that they have been bought unto God by the blood of the Lamb, from
among men, of the earth (Revelation 14:3), or from all nations and kindreds (Revelation 5:9),
applies in an eminent sense to the one hundred and forty-four thousand: they are bought as an
ἈΠΑΡΧΉ. They appear, therefore, not as the select first fruits from the entire world,[3461] but
from believers, or, at any rate, from the blessed. The correlate to the ἀπαρχή is afforded by the
context: τῶν ἠγορασμένων. As such select first fruits the one hundred and forty-four thousand
appear, with respect both to their peculiar holiness (παρθένοι), and also their peculiar blessedness
(ἀκολ. τ. ἀρν., κ.τ.λ.).
Besides distinguished virginity, in Revelation 14:5 another peculiar perfection is mentioned,
which that multitude had manifested in their earthly life (εὑρέθη, aor.); viz., perfect truthfulness
never clouded by a lie. The expression ψεῦδος[3462] is to be taken in its general sense, and not
to be limited to the lies of idolatry,[3463] heresy, or denial of Christ.[3464] A contrast is easily
conceivable to the sphere of falsehood in which the seducing false prophet[3465] moves, with
the worshippers of the beast accepting his lies.[3466] Cf. also, in Revelation 9:21, in an
enumeration of the characteristic sins of the inhabitants of the earth, the juxtaposition of πορνεία
and κλέμματα.[3467]
ἄμωμοι γάρ εἰσιν. The conclusion which stands especially in analogous relation to the
immediately preceding special point, as the παρθ. γ. εἰσ., Revelation 14:4, to the immediately
preceding clause,[3468] is, nevertheless, because of the comprehensive meaning of the predicate
ἄμωμοι,[3469] especially suitable for rounding the entire description (Revelation 14:4-5).
[3445] Schriftbew, II. 2, p. 392.
[3446] On the expression ἐμολυνθ., cf. Isaiah 59:3; 1 Corinthians 8:7; 2 Corinthians 7:1.

[3447] Cf. Fabricius, Cod. apocr. Vet. Test., II., pp. 92, 98 (where Joseph is called an ἀνήρ
παρθένος); Kypke, Observ. sacr. ad h. l. (παρθένοννἰα from Nonnus, on John 19:26); Suidas, see
on Αβελ.
[3448] N. de Lyra, Stern.
[3449] Cf. 2 Corinthians 11:2.
[3450] Victorin., Zeger, Coccejus, Grot., Vitr., Wolf; cf. also Züll.
[3451] Eichh., Beng., Hengstenb., who says that sexual intercourse, as legally defiling, is a
figurative designation of sinful defilement in general.
[3452] Cf. also C. a Lap.
[3453] Beitr., p. 185.
[3454] De s. virg., c. 27. Opp. Antw., 1701, T. VI., p. 258.
[3455] Adv. Jovin., I. c. 40. Opp. Franeof, 1684, T. II., p. 34.
[3456] See above.
[3457] So also Neander, p. 543, who, from this mode of contemplation, properly recognizes a
mark that the writer of the Apoc. is not identical with the Evangelist John.—If the exposition
above given be acknowledged, it must also be maintained (against Ew. ii.) that the view, which,
to the writer of the Apoc., is fundamental, of the impurity of all sexual intercourse, is
significantly distinguished from what is said in Matthew 19:11 sqq., 1 Corinthians 7:32; 1
Corinthians 7:34, since here, under the express presumption that sexual intercourse in marriage is
an ordinance which is divine, and by no means in itself impure, it is asserted that certain
circumstances can make a complete abstinence from marriage possible and necessary. Possibly
the too far-reaching statement of the writer of the Apocalypse is occasioned by the fact that he
wishes to emphasize in the highest degree the contrast with the worshippers of the beast, i.e., the
Gentiles, with their sexual abominations.
[3458] Cf. Matthew 10:38. Coccej., Grot., Vitr., Wolf, who recall the fact that the soldiers were
accustomed to swear: ἀκολουθεῖν τοῖς στρατηγοῖς ὅποι ποτʼ ἅν ἅγωσιν [“to follow the generals
whithersoever they would go”]. Beng., De Wette, Hengstenb., Ebrard, Ew. ii.
[3459] Cf. Revelation 7:17.
[3460] Augustine, l. c., but he is not consistent; Andr., Züll., Stern.
[3461] Against De Wette, Hengstenb., who improperly appeal to Jam 1:18, where the express
designation ἀπαρχ. τῶν αὐτοῦ κτισμάτων is given; cf. also Jeremiah 2:3.

[3462] Cf. Revelation 21:27.
[3463] Grot.: “They did not invoke the gods, which are not gods;” Beng.
[3464] Cf. Hengstenb.
[3465] Revelation 13:14.
[3466] Cf. Ewald, Ebrard.
[3467] Cf., besides, 1 Thessalonians 4:4 sq., and Revelation 14:6.
[3468] See above.
[3469] Cf. Ephesians 1:4;
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges4. for they are virgins] The first instance of the use of
the word as a masculine. It was adopted in ecclesiastical language, and applied e.g. to St John
himself. It is best to understand the word literally. St Matthew 19:12; 1 Corinthians 7 prove, on
any fair interpretation, that a devout and unselfish celibacy gives special means for serving God,
and so we need not be surprised to learn here that it has a special reward from Him. No
disparagement of holy matrimony is implied. Marriage is lowered by the Fall from what God
meant it to be (Genesis 3:16), and so, like other things which God made very good, has its own
evils and dangers; but it does not follow that it is here conceived as in any sense defilement—
they who are virgins à fortiori are “not defiled with women.” It is noticeable that we owe to the
two celibate apostles the highest consecration of marriage, see Ephesians 5:23-33, and the last
two chapters of this Book.
being the firstfruits] This seems to imply, as is required by the view that “virgins” strictly
speaking are meant, that the 144,000 do not represent the whole number of the Elect, but a
specially sanctified number from among them. See on Revelation 7:4.
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 4. - These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are
virgins. There is little doubt that these words are intended in a spiritual sense. In the Old
Testament the employment of the figure of adultery and fornication to denote spiritual
unfaithfulness is common (cf. 2 Chronicles 21:11; Jeremiah 3:9, etc.). St. John elsewhere in the
Apocalypse makes use of the same symbolism (cf. Revelation 2:20," That woman Jezebel, which
calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat
things sacrificed unto idols;" also Revelation 17:5, 6). Similarly, also, St. John pictures the
faithful Church as the bride adorned for her Husband the Lamb (Revelation 19:7, 8). So also St.
Paul (2 Corinthians 11:2), "I espoused you as a chaste virgin to one Husband, Christ." Παρθένοι,
"virgins," is a word equally applicable to men or women. This verse, therefore, seems to describe
those who are free from spiritual impurity and unfaithfulness; those who have not worshipped
the beast and his image. Alford, however, thinks the words should be understood literally. These
are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These words describe the great source
of the bliss of the redeemed, viz. that they are continually in the presence of Christ. This is their
reward for following him on earth; but the words must not be taken as referring to the earthly

course of the saints (as Bengel, De Wette, Hengstenberg, and others). These were redeemed from
among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb; these were purchased from among
men, the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb. Some have erroneously concluded that a
reference is made to a portion of the redeemed to whom special honour is conceded; or to some
who attain to glory before the rest. The firstfruits were the best of their kind (Numbers 18:12),
selected from the rest, and consecrated to the service of God. So the redeemed are the best of
their kind; they who have proved themselves faithful to God, who voluntarily separated
themselves from the world, and consecrated themselves to the service of God while in the world,
and who are thus afterwards separated by him and consecrated to his service forever.
Vincent's Word StudiesWere not defiled (οὐκ ἐμολύνθησαν)
The verb means properly to besmear or besmirch, and is never used in a good sense, as μιαίνειν
(John 18:28; Jde 1:8), which in classical Greek is sometimes applied to staining with color. See
on 1 Peter 1:4.
Virgins (παρθένοι)
Either celibate or living in chastity whether in married or single life. See 1 Corinthians 7:1-7, 1
Corinthians 7:29; 2 Corinthians 11:2.
First-fruits (ἀπαρχὴ)
See on James 1:18.
PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
- Revelation 14:4 javascript:B('Rev. 14:4', '14:4')javascript:B('Rev. 14:4',
'14:4')javascript:S('Rev. 14:4', '14:4')javascript:S('Rev. 14:4', '14:4')
not defiled with women
Defiled is Ἐμολύνθησαν [Emolynthēsan]: “Causing something to be dirty soil, smear, stain;
metaphorically, as keeping the life spotless.”22 The same word describes those in the church at
Sardis who “had not defiled their garments” (Rev. 3:4HYPERLINK
"../chapters/03.html#3.3.4"‣ ). Their faithful service of the Lamb was exemplary and motivated
by their consuming obedience to His will, because they “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”
This does not indicate that they were sinless, for they are among those needing redemption. This
verse does not negate the divine institution and blessing upon married sexual relations for
“marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will
judge” (Heb. 13:4). Perhaps these minister at a time when the institution of marriage has all but
fallen by the wayside (not inconceivable if present trends continue) and relations with women are
almost exclusively outside of the bounds of marriage in their time? Theirs is a time characterized

by fornication (Rev. 9:21HYPERLINK "../chapters/09.html#3.9.21"‣ ), perhaps pagan rites of
old are flourishing once again, but on a global basis:
We have more than once, in the Epistles to the Assemblies, and on Revelation 9:20HYPERLINK
"../chapters/09.html#3.9.20"‣ , 21HYPERLINK "../chapters/09.html#3.9.21"‣ , said that
Fornication will be part of the great religious system of Anti-Christ in the coming time of trouble
and temptation; as it formed an obligatory part of the great pagan systems of idolatry. Idolatry
was not a mere sin into which people gradually sunk; but it was a Satanic device into which
people rose in order to gratify the lusts of the flesh under the cloak of religion.23
The worship of Antichrist during the Tribulation will be unspeakably vile and perverse. As it did
in the fertility cults of ancient times, sexual sin will apparently run rampant. Even in the current
grossly immoral day, we can hardly imagine what the deviant sexual perversion of the
Tribulation will be like. With all divine restraint removed (2Th. 2:6-7) and the unbelieving world
judgmentally abandoned by God (cf. Rom. 1:24, 26, 28), sin will be released like a flood,
inundating the world.24
But in the fearful days of abandonment “as in the days of Noah”—when lust and violence will
again fill the whole earth (as we see beginning now!) how wonderful to behold this company of
144,000 who have chosen to be entirely separated unto the Lamb and unto His Father, and who
are thus, despite the days!25
In their complete dedication to the service of the Lamb, they voluntarily chose to forgo relations
with women in order to focus completely on their unique God-given task during the Tribulation.
they are virgins
These are physical virgins, for why else would it be said of this particular group of saints that
they are virgins? All the saints are virgins in the spiritual sense of being set aside and dedicated
to God. “I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to
Christ” (2Cor. 11:2).
Jesus explained, “there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are
eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves
eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it” (Mat.
19:12) “Not only is there virgin purity of life, but there is also virgin love—undivided heart
affection for the Lamb.”26 These are eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. By both choice
and gifting, they were enabled to give their full focus to ministry at the time of the end.
Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to
fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your
lack of self-control. But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. For I wish that all
men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and
another in that. . . . But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let
him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. . . . But I want you to be without care. He who is
unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. (1Cor. 7:5-7, 17, 32)
who follow the Lamb wherever He goes
This speaks of their complete obedience to do the will of the Lamb. In the same way that the
Lamb followed the Father (John 4:34), so these followed the Lamb. Those who fully follow God
are blessed. Joshua and Caleb were allowed into the Promised Land because they followed God
fully (Num. 14:24). A scribe claimed he would follow Jesus “wherever You go,” but there is

always a cost to such discipleship (Mat. 8:19-22; Luke 9:57-62). Those who would know and
serve the Master must first of all be followers, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and
they follow Me” (John 10:27). “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am there
My servant will be also” (John 12:26).
These are among the rest of the woman’s offspring who kept the commands of God. See
commentary on Revelation 12:17. If this scene is in heaven (see commentary on Revelation
14:1), then their obedience had ultimately cost them their lives. Unlike Peter, they had not denied
their Lord, but had followed the Lamb even through the portal of death and into eternal life:
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going
you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, why
can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.” Jesus answered him, “Will
you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till
you have denied Me three times.” (John 13:36-38)
These were redeemed
ἠγοράσθησαν [ēgorasthēsan]: “Literally buy, purchase, do business in the marketplace”27 (1Cor.
6:20; Eph. 1:14). The purchase price was the Lamb’s blood (Acts 20:28; Rev. 1:5HYPERLINK
"../chapters/01.html#3.1.5"‣ ; 5:9HYPERLINK "../chapters/05.html#3.5.9"‣ ;
12:11HYPERLINK "../chapters/12.html#3.12.11"‣ ). See commentary on Revelation 1:5.
firstfruits
Ἀπαρχὴ [Aparchē]: “In Mosaic ceremonial law, a technical term for the first portion of grain and
fruit harvests and flocks offered to God . . . figuratively, of persons as the first of a set or
category first: as the first converts in an area (Rom. 16.5).”28 The firstfruits was the first portion
of a harvest which was dedicated to God. It demonstrated the priority which was given to God
because the first of that which had been long awaited was bypassed by the harvester and given to
God (Lev. 23:10-14). By honoring God with one’s firstfruits, the resulting blessing would
provide a greater yield. The nation of Israel is said to be the firstfruits of God’s increase which
would eventually include multitudes of redeemed Gentiles (Jer. 2:3). James indicated that the
early church was “a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (Jas. 1:18). In the time since, the harvest
has spread to multitudes around the world. Here, after the Church Age and the fullness of the
Gentiles has come in (Rom. 11:25), these represent the firstfruits of the spiritual awakening of
Israel in preparation for the Millennial Kingdom to follow (Eze. 37).29
For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise
in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the
Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come
out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” (Rom. 11:25-26)
They may also be considered firstfruits from the perspective of their unique preservation through
the Tribulation enabling them to contribute to the initial Jewish population which enters the
Millennial Kingdom in their natural bodies and subsequently populates the kingdom (Isa. 65:20,
23).
These sealed Jews [Rev. 7:4-8HYPERLINK "../chapters/07.html#3.7.4"‣ ] are those who come
to faith in Jesus as Messiah during the Tribulation period. They are further described as “first
fruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Rev. 14:4HYPERLINK "../chapters/14.html#3.14.4"‣ ),
indicating that they compose the first stage of a final harvest of Jewish souls to be gathered later

at the Lord’s coming in glory. . . . These comprise the “remnant” of Jews “who keep the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 12:17HYPERLINK
"../chapters/12.html#3.12.17"‣ b).30
THE LAMB OUR LEADER NO. 2456
A SERMON INTENDEDFOR READING ON LORD’S-DAY, MARCH 15,
1896 DELIVERED BYC. H. SPURGEON AT THE METROPOLITAN
TABERNACLE, NEWINGTONON LORD’S-DAY EVENING, MARCH7,
1886
“These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth.” Revelation
14:4
YOU, dear friends who belong to the Tabernacle, are wellacquainted with
our venerable friend, George Rogers. Itwas a greatjoy to me to find him alive
when I came home from the Continent, he said that he must keepon living till
he had seenme once more, and then he hoped that he should go home. That
was a month ago, but yesterday I saw him again, and he seemedto be greatly
revived and refreshed. He has attained an extremely advancedage, and it is
only natural that he should soongo to his restand reward. He remarkedto
me, yesterday, that he had bidden farewellto the world entirely, and he did
not wish to renew the acquaintance, he did not know why he should linger
here any longer, for everything was finished, and he was ready to depart, and
then he said to me, in his cheery way, “I wonderwhether I shall see that new

Baptist Chapelcompleted.” You know that he is not a Baptist, but a
Congregationalist, yethe has been with us so many years that we always claim
him. He added, “Whenit is built, I hope they will send a regular old-
fashionedBaptist to preach in it.” I askedhim, “What sort of old-fashioned
Baptist do you mean?” “Why,” he replied, “the oldest-fashionedBaptistwas
the man that cried, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh awaythe sin of
the world.’ That is the old-fashionedsort of Baptist I mean—Johnthe Baptist,
and that is the sort I hope will come there.” “Yes,” I said, “and I wish that was
the sortof preacherwho would go everywhere, for that is the truth which still
needs to be preached.” “Ah, yes!” said Mr. Rogers, “there is nothing like the
doctrine of the atoning sacrifice, itis the doctrine for this world, and it is the
doctrine for the next.” “Do you not think,” said he, “that this passagewould
make you a goodtext for tomorrow, ‘These are they which follow the Lamb
whithersoeverHe goeth’?” “Yes,” Ianswered, “that will make me a goodtext,
may God send me the sermon!” That is why I have takenthis text, it really
comes to you from that venerable man who is so far advanced in years, and so
close to the border of the eternal state. He feels that the old-fashioned Baptist
doctrine that ought to be continually preachedis this, “Beholdthe Lamb of
God, which taketh awaythe sin of the world,” and that the best characterthat
can be ascribedto Christians in any age is this, “These are they which follow
the Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth.” Upon that theme I am now going to speak
to you as the Holy Spirit shall enable me. I. And, first, I would make this
observation, that THIS IS CHARACTERISTIC OF SAINTS, “These are they
which follow the Lamb whithersoeverHe goeth.” This has always beenthe
way of the saints, this is the way the holy prophets went, the way of the
martyrs, the way of the reformers and confessors, the way of all who shall
meet above around the throne of Godand of the Lamb. Beginat the
beginning. When do you see Abel at his best? It is when he brings of the
firstlings of his flock, and stands beside the altar of sacrifice whereonlies the
God-acceptedlamb. The first of the martyrs is a martyr to the doctrine of
sacrifice by Blood, he, being dead, yet speaks, bearing his testimony that there
is no wayof accessto God except by the sacrifice ofa lamb.
2 The Lamb Our Leader Sermon #2456
2 Volume 42

Pass onto Abraham. What is one of the most memorable sayings of the father
of the faithful? “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offering.” Did not Abraham then, by faith, see Christ’s day? Yea, he saw it
afar off, and was glad, he knew that the greatJEHOVAH-JIREH would
provide a wondrous Substitute, who would die in the place of His people, even
as the ram took the place of Isaac, andAbraham saw in his own offering of his
son whom he so dearly loved, a faint image of that greateroffering of the
Eternal Fatherwhen He would give His only-begotten and well-beloved Sonto
die that His people might live. Again I say that it is always characteristicof
God’s people that they follow the Lamb, for look at Israel in Egypt. They are
slaves at the brick kilns. They are building treasure cities and pyramids, but
they cannot stir out of Egypt till first of all they have slain and eatenthe
paschallamb, and sprinkled his blood upon their dwelling places. Thenthey
go out singing the song of Mosesthe servantof Godand of the Lamb. All
through their marching in the wilderness, there was the offering of the
morning lamb and the evening lamb. The people of God were known by their
trust in a greatsacrifice, that sacrifice being prefigured by “the blood of bulls
and of goats, and the sprinkling of the ashes ofan heifer,” and especiallyby
the passoverlamb and the morning and the evening lamb. I do not know any
clearercharacteristic ofthe saints throughout the ages that are past than this,
“These are they which follow the Lamb.” Think of the prophet Isaiah, and as
you remember him, and his prophecy, does not the thought of the Lamb of
God rise up to your mind at once? “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheepbefore her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”
Then, when the new saints come into the world in the brighter day, the clearer
dispensationof the Gospel, does not John the Baptistpoint all who hear him
to the Lamb of God? That morning star of the Christian solarsystem throws
its bright beams upon Jesus, the one greatsacrifice. Johncried, “Beholdthe
Lamb of God, which takethawaythe sin of the world,” and that other John,
who heard Him speak, startedfollowing the Lamb, and all through his life he
kept close companywith that blessedLamb of God till, in his extreme old age,
on the island of Patmos, he saw visions of God, and wrote that wonderful
Book ofthe Revelationout of which we were reading just now, and one of the
noteworthy points in that Book is that John continually speaks ofthe Lord
Jesus as the Lamb. The one sacrifice has been offered, the redemption price

has been fully paid, the sins of the redeemed have been all put away, and now
one might have thought that the Lord Jesus wouldassume some other form,
for instance, that of the Lion of the tribe of Judah would always be
predominant in the apocalyptic vision, yet it is not so. John says, “Ilooked,
and, lo, a Lamb stoodon the Mount Sion.” Sacrifice is ever first—first before
the angels, first before the elders who representthe church, first in the very
centerof the throne of God Himself, for it is the throne of God, and of Him
who offered Himself as the sacrifice, that is, the Lamb. This, then, is the
emblem on the escutcheonofthe church triumphant as well as the church
militant, “a lamb as it had been slain.” For the wilderness and for Canaan, for
the battlefield and for the palace, for the cross and for the throne, it is ever the
Lamb, the Lamb that was slain, and that lives again, and lives to die no more.
God forbid that this matchless figure should ever be dim to our eyes, but may
we gaze upon it with ever-increasing delight! Saints in all ages have followed
the Lamb, and I do not wonder that they have done so, for it was the Lamb
that made them saints. They have “washedtheir robes, and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb.” Sainthood begins at Calvary. There is no
possibility of being holy till first there has been remission of sin, and there is
no remission of sin without the shedding of the blood of the Lamb. No, dear
friends, we have no hope of being cleanin God’s sight unless we have been
washed, and there is no fountain of cleansing for the house of David, and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, but that which was opened when Christ hung on the
cross. Wellmay they follow Christ who have been made saints by Him. They
follow the Lamb, again, because it is He who keeps them saints. “He keepeth
the feetof his saints.” If we walk in the light, as God is in the light, and so
have fellowship one with another, it is still “the blood of Jesus Christ, his
Son,” which, “cleansethus from all sin.” We need perpetual cleansing,
Sermon #2456 The Lamb Our Leader 3
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and we get that perpetual cleansing in the ever-flowing stream from the
wounds of Christ which, in effect, perpetually do bleed for those who put their
trust in Him. Well may the saints follow the Lamb, for to Him they owe, not
only the beginning, but the continuance of their spiritual life and saintship.

And brothers and sisters, whatother leader could they follow? What model,
exceptChrist, is there for a saint to copy? How can we attain to holiness if we
work not after this pattern? Where shall any manhood be seenas fit for
imitation, exceptwhere it is linked with the Godhead, in the Divine Son of
God? Where shall we see the law written out in living characters, but in the
life of this glorious Man, this blessedSonof God? Beloved, it is not possible
for saints, in all respects, to follow any other leader, and it is characteristic of
them that they follow the Lamb. Ask yourselves, my dear hearers, whether
you are among these followers of the Lamb. II. The secondpart of our subject
shows us that THIS EXPRESSIONIS INSTRUCTIVE TO THOSE WHO
DESIRE TO BE SAINTS. Those of us who have already the commencement
of sanctification, should remember that we can only be saints in the fullest
sense by following the Lamb whithersoeverHe goes. First, then, we are to
follow the Lamb. Some men spurn the idea of following anybody, they have
very capacious brains, and they like to think and to excogitate. Theywill have
nothing but what is beatenout on their own anvils. To acceptthe Word of
God as a little child receives it, is altogetherbeneath their dignity. They think
that the Word of God itself is mistakenwhen it says, “Mythoughts are not
your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and
my thoughts than your thoughts.” They fancy that their thoughts are even a
little higher than the thoughts of God. They are followers ofnobody, they are
leaders, or at any rate, they are “self-contained.”Theyhave their own
revelation, and eachman of them is a god to himself. Very well, you may
stand there by yourselves, you learned people, you may have your degrees,
M.A., D.D., or whateverelse you like, for you are those who follow nobody,
but of the true people of God, it is written, “These are they which follow the
Lamb.” These are not they who follow their own leading, striking out a path
of their own, these are not the greateccentrics,orthe wonderful originals, but
these are they which follow, they are contentto be merely followers, theydo
not aspire to be anything more than followers, but they are glad, however, to
add that they are followers of the Lamb, “These are they which follow the
Lamb.” There are other persons in the world who follow some one of their
fellow men. Whateverhe says is Gospelto them, whatever he has written is, of
course, infallible. “Be ye followers of me,” says the apostle Paul, but then he

adds directly, “evenas I also am of Christ.” While we are children, we are
necessarilyunder instructors, but we must take heed, as we grow in grace,
that we never follow an instructor so blindly as to follow him where he goes
wrong. No, “to the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to
this Word, it is because there is no light in them.” Every true instructor will
beg you to see that, when he errs, you are not to err with him, but to keepa
conscienceandan understanding of your own, so that it will not be said,
“These are they who follow this or that eminent preacher or divine,” but
“These are they which follow the Lamb.” Mind that, dear friends, for it is
most important. I know another company of people who follow “the church.”
That is a wonderful thing, you know, “the historic church.” This is the great
door of entrance into the church of Rome, and many have been attractedto it,
and have gone through it down into the abyss. There are certain persons who
think that “the church” cannot err, but I do not know a more erring
community than that which is commonly called“the church.” Yet there are
certain people who must follow the church whithersoevershe goes, and as she
has gone to Rome, there they will also go. Or if they think she has gone to
Oxford, there they will abide, or if she has gone to Canterbury, there they will
dwell. Well, I have greatrespectfor these brethren, but I prefer to be
numbered with those of whom it is written, “These are they which follow the
Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth.” Whether He goes to Rome, or
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to Geneva, or to Wittenberg, or to Canterbury, or to Smithfield amidst the
martyrs’ burning stakes, oramong the misnamed Anabaptists, or the
Methodists, follow the Lamb whereverHe goes. Ihave been sometimes called
to book for saying—yetI will venture to sayit again—thatif I lived in a
village, or if I lived in any other place where I knew there was a Baptist or
other Dissenting Chapel, before I decided to attend it, I would want to know,
first, “Is the Gospelpreachedthere?” I am not so blindly weddedto any
denomination whateverthat I should cling to the denomination if it did not
cling to Christ. “Follow the Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth.” If you canhear
sound doctrine concerning Christ preachedanywhere, go and hear it, if it is in

connectionwith those who also follow the Lamb in the waters of baptism,
show your preference for that form of worship, but do not cling merely to an
old name and an old flag when Christ has gone from them. The first thing for
your soul is to get near to Christ, to feed upon His truth, and so to let it be said
of you, dear friends, “‘These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever
he goeth,’and if they do not hear the Gospelin one place, they will go to
another, for they are not going to listen to false doctrine. They have, as sheep
of Christ, receiveda taste by which they know what is truth and what is error.
‘A strangerwill they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the
voice of strangers,’but when they hear their Shepherd’s voice, they will follow
that. ‘These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth.’” The
church is all very well in its place, but the church has often lost her Lord. In
the Song of Solomonwe read how she went about the streets seeking Him, so I
should not like to have to follow her whithersoevershe goes, but it is safe and
right to follow the Bridegroomwherever He goes. So let us keepto that, and
be amongstthose that “follow the Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth.” A further
instruction is this. We may always follow the leadof the Lamb of the atoning
sacrifice. We cannever follow it too closelyin our thought. You know that you
may getsome one thought into your head, and it may rule your whole being
till you hardly know where it may lead you. Few men know the consequences
of introducing any single doctrine into their minds, for it is pretty sure to
bring another and another in its train. This is especiallytrue about the
doctrine of the atonement offeredby Christ the Lamb of God, yet you may
acceptit without fear, whateverits consequencesmay be, and never be at all
afraid to follow it whithersoeverit goes. Forinstance, whenyou think of
Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, dying in unutterable pain to redeem men, it
gives you the true idea of the terrible blackness ofsin. Well, follow out that
thought, and if you begin to be greatly depressedunder a sense ofsin, if
conscienceshouldsting and scourge your heart, if it should almostdrive you
to despair to think that sin could not be put awayexceptby the death of the
Son of God, still follow out the thought, for the process willnot hurt you.
“Follow the Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth.” ThoughHe should lead you into a
very trying experience, and a very humbling sense ofyour own guilt, go on
still further with Him, for He who leads you into that gloom will leadyou out
of it in the most efficient manner, and you need not be afraid to “follow the

Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth.” “If it be so,” says one, “that the Sonof God
must die before sin canbe put away, then it follows that there is no salvation
out of Christ.” Just so, follow up that thought. Go on with it to its ultimate
issues, do not be afraid, even though the consequences shouldstartle you. Rest
assuredthat, where the doctrine of the cross may lead you, you may follow it
quite safely. One thing I know, the doctrine of the cross will never make you
trifle with sin, it will never let you imagine that the death of the wickedis a
slight matter, it will never make you indifferent as to the state of men when
they pass into another world. “Follow the Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth,” and
you will hate sin more and more, you will love souls more and more, you will
have an intense awe of the law of God, and you will have an intense love for
the personof your Redeemer. You cannotpush this thought too far, it is a
truth about which you cannever go to an extreme. Nay, I wish that you would
go to any extreme that lies along this route, “These are they which follow the
Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth,” as a matter of thought.
Sermon #2456 The Lamb Our Leader 5
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But now, once more, you may also very safely follow the Lord Jesus Christ, as
the atoning sacrifice, in matters of fact, that is to say, you may be in this
world, as far as you can in your measure, as Christ was. The man who
believes in the doctrine of the Lamb of God that takes awaythe sin of the
world, will feelthat sin is bitter, and he will become very intolerant of it. He
will seek to put it down, he will try to purge it out of his own conduct, and he
will not endure it in his own family. Go on with that line of conduct, and
follow the Lamb whithersoeverhe goes. How can you tolerate that which cost
the Sonof Godthe bloody sweatofGethsemane? How canyou play with the
daggerwhich pierced His heart? No, you must practically, in your life, hate
the sins that made Him mourn, and nailed Him to the tree. Alas! nowadays, I
see many who are trifling with sin. We Puritans, they say, are much too
precise and too strict. Ah, sirs! it is that precisenessand that strictness that
are wantedmore and more, and we shall never know how to live thus except
we abide hard by the cross ofChrist. Unless we believe that sin costChrist His
life, we shall never have that holy enmity towards sin which we ought to have,

that blessedintolerance of sin which ought to take possessionofevery
Christian’s heart and mind. “Follow the Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth.” If
you do, you will have to go outside the camp, just as He did, bearing His cross.
He went forth beyond the gates ofJerusalem, you will have to do the same,
you will find people saying of you that they cannot endure you, you have
become too religious, too strait-laced, and so on. Blessedare they who are not
afraid of hard names, who indeed feel that, if it be wrong in the judgment of
the world to follow Christ so closely, they intend to be more wrong, even as
David said to Michal, “I will yet be more vile.” Godhelp us so to do! “Follow
the Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth,” into the place of separationwithout the
camp. If you follow the Lamb, you may be calledto suffer, you may have to
lose friends, you may come under the cruel lash of slander, you may, perhaps,
have to lose this world’s gains, for righteousness’sakeandholiness’ sake, but
whateverthe costmay be, follow the Lamb, sayto yourself—
“Through floods and flames, if Jesus lead, I’ll follow where He goes.”
“The blood-bespatteredfootprints of my Mastershall receive mine. Not with
equal strides, but still with gladsome footsteps,I will follow in His track, let
that track lead where it may. What He did, I will do, after my measure.” This
is what we ought to do, brothers and sisters. How different our lives would be
if we always wroughtthem out by this rule—“What would Christ do in such a
case?”Ihave sometimes got into a greatfix of consciencewhenI have put to
myself the question, “What would Christ do in such a case as this?” And once
or twice I have not been able to answer. And then I have had to hark back a
little, and say, “Would Christ ever have been in circumstances similar to mine
just now? Is there not some mistake farther back, and had I not better go
right back, and begin again, somewhere orother, rather than keepon a track
in which I cannotsuppose my Lord to be?” Oh, that we might feel,
henceforth, that we will follow the Lamb whithersoeverHe goeth, whatever
the consequencesmay be! Young Christian, I should recommend you, in
starting out in the Christian life, to aim at obeying your Lord’s commands in
every particular. If you have believed in Him, the first thing that you ought to
do is to be baptized. “Follow the Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth,” and I am

sure that He went down into the waters of Jordan, and was baptized by John,
and then the Holy Spirit restedupon Him, and His Father said, “This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am wellpleased.” Whenyou have done that, go and
give yourself to the Church of Christ, for the Lord Jesus Christ, from the very
first, beganto gather round about Him those who feared God, and He had a
company of disciples who constitutedHis church. Still keepon following the
Lamb whithersoeverHe goeth, and if you do, you will be a very amiable,
loving, generous, hearty, self-denying, laborious Christian. If you follow the
Lamb whithersoeverHe goeth, you will go about doing good, you will lay
yourself out in service for the Master. Perhaps you will teach little children,
for He said, “Sufferthe little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.”
Perhaps you will stand and preachin the streets, for He, by the
6 Volume 42
hillside, and on the mountain, and by the sea, spoke ever the things of God.
But if you follow Him, you will do goodin one way or another, and not be a
lazy lie-a-bed in the kingdom of Christ, expecting to be honored and rewarded
for doing nothing at all. “These are they which follow the Lamb
whithersoeverhe goeth.” Brothers and sisters, are we not happy that we may
follow Him? His track leads to rest, for He sits at the right hand of God. His
track leads to victory, for the Lamb is enthroned, and He will give us to
overcome, and to sit with Him upon His throne, even as He has overcome, and
sits with the Father upon His throne. Oh! then, by that sweetending, let us
make a goodbeginning, and a blessed, persevering continuance, in following
the Lamb whithersoeverHe goeth. III. I close with this remark—ourtext IS
SUGGESTIVE TO ALL WHO WOULD BE SAINTS. You perceive that if
you are to be true saints, first of all, you must trust Christ. A man does not
follow another unless he has faith in him. Brethren, your wayto heavenlies in
trusting yourself with Christ as a sacrifice forsin—as the Lamb of God. Trust
yourself with Him, and you have begun the new life, you have started as a
saint. But, next, this trust must be of a practicalkind. It is not saidin our text,
“These are they which trust the Lamb,” merely, but “These are they which
follow the Lamb.” You must do what He bids you, as He bids you, because He

bids you, and because you trust Him. You must begin, from this day forth, to
show by your lives that your faith in Christ is no mere sentiment, but a vital
active principle within your minds. In that way you shall find eternal life in
trusting the Lamb and following Him. But, if you follow Him, recollectthat
you must make no terms with Him. “These are they which follow the Lamb
whithersoeverhe goeth.” “Lord,” sayyou, “I will follow You across the grassy
lawn, or over the smoothly rolled road.” No, no, you must make no conditions,
you must follow Him up the crags and down into the marshes, you must follow
Christ everywhere, with no picking and choosing of the road. Where He bids
you, you must go, where He leads you, you must follow. Will you do that? If
so, you shall be His in the day of His appearing, but you must take that
“whithersoever” into the contract. “These are they which follow the Lamb
whithersoeverhe goeth.” O sir, will you follow Christ at this rate? If you will,
you are Christ’s man, this is the sort of soldier that He would enlist in His
army, the man who is ready to follow Him whithersoeverHe goes. I heard of
a young man who wanted to be an officer in Napoleon’s army, and he came to
get a commissionwearing a fine new hat, and a suit of clothes of the very
neatestcut possible, and the officer askedhim, “Sir, if you were in a defile,
with mountains on either side of you which you could not ascend, and there
was no possibility of going back, and the enemy in front was at leastten times
your number, what would you do in such a case as that?” He answered, “I
should resignmy commission.” Theydid not make an officerof him, you may
be sure, but there are plenty of that kind who, as soonas ever they come to a
difficulty in the Christian faith, say, “Take my name off the roll, I did not
bargain for this.” Now, if you mean to be a Christian, you must “follow the
Lamb whithersoever— whithersoever—whithersoeverhe goeth.” And if you
do this, you must be like Him. Christ and His followers must be of one mind.
Christ the Lamb is not to be followedby the devil’s lions. If you follow the
Lamb, you must grow more and more lamb-like, and that means being more
gentle, more meek, more self-sacrificing, more ready to submit to the divine
will. The Lord make us so, and may we be among the blessedpeople who shall
have this for their epitaph—nay, not for their epitaph, for they are not dead,
but who shall have this for their motto, “These are they which follow the
Lamb whithersoeverhe goeth”! Lastly, remember that Jesus came to the
communion table, and His followers should be like Him in this respectalso. If

there is any child of God who has forgottenthis truth hitherto, let him no
longerforsake the assembling of himself with God’s people in the keeping of
this sacredfeast. Godbless you all, for Christ’s sake!Amen.
END PRECEPTAUSTIN
LEADERSHIP: Following God and Guiding Others To Do
the Same
MEMORY VERSE: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." 1
CORINTHIANS 11:1 (NIV)
This Week’s FinishLine: Jesus is Our Guide and the Ultimate Leader
Jesus is not a typical leader. He didn’t come to earth the first time to rule in might and power,
although He could have. No, He first came as a servant, willing to do the Father’s work, live a
perfect life, and die on a cross to take the punishment He didn’t deserve. He was humble,
obedient, loving, selfless, and sacrificial. This is not the way the world would describe a leader,
but isn’t it the kind of person you would want to follow? Jesus didn’t come to call the richest,
smartest, or prettiest people. He first called fishermen, ordinary people like you and me, to
follow Him. There was nothing special about them except the fact that Jesus chose them. He was
going to do amazing things through the men that followed Him and He made them fishers of
men and still does that today. He is the perfect leader and He will use those who follow Him to
do the good works He has planned for us to do.
Family Questions:
1. What do you think it means to be a leader? How would you describe a good leader?
2. Read Philippians 2:3-11. How is Jesus described? Is His leadership different than the way
you described a leader? How?
3. Read Matthew 4:18-22. Why do you think the men so quickly left their nets in order to
follow Jesus?
4. Where are you a leader? Why is it important to first follow Jesus before trying to lead
others?
Bring it Home Conversations & Activities:
* Check out our vision for parents and how to use these activities each week.
Teacher: Good Leadership Begins By Being a Good Follower
As you gather around the dinner table with your family, bring up the topic of leadership. As a
family come up with a list of great leaders, some from history and some you know personally.
Ask your family what makes those people good leaders. After they have come up with reasons

and opinions as to what makes up a good leader, read 1 Corinthians 11:1. Paul very plainly says
who the ultimate leader is in his life: Jesus. Explain and teach your family that being a good
leader really means that you are a good follower of the ultimate Leader.
Friend: Follow The Leader
As a family take some time to play together this week. At some point play the game “Follow the
Leader” (also known as “Simon Says”). As you are playing, point out that just like you need to
pay close attention to the leader to follow them well, we have to pay close attention to Jesus so
we can follow Him well.
Counselor: Psalm 23
As you are putting your family to bed, read Psalm 23 together. Before you start reading, tell your
family to listen for all the ways that Jesus leads us. After you are done reading, discuss how the
Psalm talks about Jesus being our shepherd, how he leads us, and how he will be with us through
the good and the hard times.
Coach: Looking For Troubles
As you are getting your family ready for the day, work on this week’s memory verse together,
and encourage your kids to lead others around them by first following Christ.
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”__1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)
Prayer
Thank God for the leaders in your life. Pray for them and that they would continue to rely on the
Lord and seek His wisdom as they lead you and others. Ask God to help you follow the perfect
example of Christ and lead others to follow Him.
Looking Ahead
Next week we will continue the month of August with the godly characteristic trait of
LEADERSHIP. We will be learning that the greatest leaders are servants of all.
https://www.watermark.org/blog/jesus-is-our-guide-and-the-ultimate-leader
7 Principles to Lead as Jesus Led
We can draw inspiration from the ways that Jesus led.
Ed Stetzer
/edstetzer/contributors/ed-stetzer.html/edstetzer/contributors/ed-stetzer.htmlBio
7 P r i n c i p l e s t o L e a d a s J e s u s L e d
Image: pixabay

I’m writing, teaching, and thinking a lot more about leadership lately. In the last week, I’ve
received three calls from people involving job changes due to poor leadership. Some are too
‘spiritual’ to talk about leadership principles, focusing instead on preaching, sacraments, the
work of the Spirit, or whatever their tradition says they should look to instead. But throughout
the Bible we see good leaders and bad ones and the impact of both. In this series, I hope to
encourage you to be the kind of leader that, well, leads people to the things that matter most.
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Things to Check Out
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Jesus did not come to be your leadership guru. He came to die on the cross, for your sin, and in
your place.
Yet, he did lead. And we can learn from how he led. If we look closely, we see that his
leadership was wrapped in humility and servanthood. Even for those in high leadership positions,
we all ultimately submit to one Person, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus also led perfectly. Now of course we are not perfect, but nonetheless Jesus’ model guides
us towards towards more Spirit-led leadership that honors all those under our care. The more we
follow Jesus, the more ‘perfect’ we can be in emulating and taking on the characteristics of a
good leader. And when we lead like Jesus, we leave a legacy that is shaped around Jesus.
Gene Wilkes has helpfully categorized seven principles that we can take to heart to inspire our
leadership. I have personally found these helpful in different leadership positions I have been in.
None of us is perfect, but we strive to be leaders who at the end of each day may hear the voice
of our God saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
1. Jesus humbled himself and allowed God to exalt him.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in
the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied
himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being
found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the
name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in
heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)
2. Jesus followed his father’s will rather than sought a position.
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent
me. (John 6:38)
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his
work.” (John 4:34)
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3. Jesus defined greatness as being a servant.
And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were
you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with
one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he
said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark
9:33-37)
4. Jesus took risks to serve others because he trusted he was God’s son.
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come
from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. (John 13:3)
5. Jesus left his place at the head table to serve the needs of others.
He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he
poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the
towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:4-5)
6. Jesus shared responsibility and authority with those he called to lead.
And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons
and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.
(Luke 9:1-2)
7. Jesus built a team to carry out a vision worldwide.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew
28:18-20)
My new web-based course, Strategic Leadership for Ministry and Mission, is geared to help you
become the leader God has called you to be. Learn more about Strategic Leadership and check
out Session One for free.
Ed Stetzer holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at
Wheaton College, is executive director of the Billy Graham Center, and publishes church
leadership resources through Mission Group.
Lyrics
You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord to give up I'd be a fool

Jesus Lamb of God worthy is Your name
Taking my sin my cross my shame
Rising again I bless your name
When I fall down you pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
Worthy is Your name
Worthy is Your name
Songwriters: Dennis Jernigan
© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
For non-commercial use only.
Data From: LyricFind
Just As I am - Oh Lamb of God I Come Lyrics
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come! .
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot;
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt;
Fightings within, and fears without,
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind;
Yes, all I need, in Thee to find,

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come I come!
Lamb of God
Edit
• /wiki/Lamb_of_God?action=edit
• /wiki/Lamb_of_God?action=history
Comments HYPERLINK l "Share
Add Image YOUR ONLY SON, NO SIN TO HIDE
BUT YOU HAVE SENT HIM FROM YOUR SIDE TO WALK UPON THIS GUILTY SOD
AND TO BECOME THE LAMB OF GOD
O LAMB OF GOD SWEET LAMB OF GOD I LOVE THE HOLY LAMB OF GOD O WASH
ME IN YOUR PRECIOUS BLOOD MY JESUS CHRIST THE LAMB OF GOD
YOUR GIFT OF LOVE THEY CRUCIFIED THEY LAUGHED AND SCORNED HIM AS HE
DIED THE HUMBLE KING THEY NAMED A FRAUD AND SACRIFICED THE LAMB OF
GOD
ME IN YOUR PRECIOUS BLOOD MY JESUS CHRIST THE LAMB OF GOD
I WAS SO LOST I SHOULD HAVE DIED BUT YOU HAVE BROUGHT ME TO YOUR
SIDE TO BE LEAD BY YOUR STAFF AND ROD AND TO BE CALLED A LAMB OF GOD
ME IN YOUR PRECIOUS BLOOD TILL I AM JUST A LAMB OF GOD

Lamb of God! our souls adore Thee
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Text Piano Guitar
1
Lamb of God! our souls adore Thee,
While upon Thy face we gaze;
There the Father’s love and glory
Shine in all their brightest rays;
Thine Almighty pow’r and wisdom
All creation’s works proclaim;
Heav’n and earth alike confess Thee
As the ever great “I AM.”
2
Lamb of God! Thy Father’s bosom
Ever was Thy dwelling place;
His delight, in Him rejoicing,
One with Him in pow’r and grace;
O what wondrous love and mercy!
Thou didst lay Thy glory by;
And for us didst come from heaven
As the Lamb of God to die.
3
Lamb of God! When we behold Thee
Lowly in the manger laid,
Wand’ring as a homeless stranger
In the world Thy hands had made;
When we see Thee in the garden
In Thine agony of blood,
At Thy grace we are confounded,
Holy, spotless Lamb of God!
4
When we see Thee, as the victim,
Bound to the accursed tree,
For our guilt and folly stricken,
All our judgment borne by Thee,
Lord, we own, with hearts adoring,
Thou hast loved us unto blood;
Glory, glory everlasting

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