Worthy is the Lamb

Choir songs - Brooklyn tabernacle choir - worthy is the lamb

Intro

What is your favorite picture of Jesus? your favorite image. (wait for people to answer)

For some of us who were brought up going to Sunday School, the image might be from Matthew 19:14: “Let the little children come to me.” Jesus is sitting, smiling, with a child on one knee and several other children around Him.

Others from Christian homes may have had a picture in our house of a kindly-looking Jesus with long brown hair, who looked a lot more Italian than Jewish. Perhaps that has become your favorite image.

For others, their favorite image might be Jesus in the Garden in agony,

Or Jesus suffering on the cross for your sins and mine,Or the resurrected Jesus going up to Mary Magdalene outside the tomb, calling out to her, “Mary!”

Or the risen Lord speaking to skeptical Thomas: “Put your finger in my hands; put your hand in my side. Stop disbelieving and believe!”

Other than the Italian features in the painting, these are all biblical images. God communicates the nature of Jesus to us through such images.

In the chapter of Revelation that we are going to go through today, John is given two very different images of Jesus. Two images that would appear to contradict each other. We have Jesus the Lion of Judah and Jesus the lamb that was slain yet is alive. How is this possible, to describe Jesus as the reigning king coming in Power (The Lion) and the sacrifice paid for our sins, willingly laying down His life as the sacrificial lamb?

HBI - The arrival of the sacrificed messiah is the ultimate message of Revelation. Worthy is the lamb that was slain which has ensured the final triumph over all the world. The only one worthy to bring forth the end times.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain for our sins, who bought us with His life and His blood on the cross. Will you turn to the only one worthy of praise? One day you will be faced with Him.

The Scroll

There are four things we are going to look at today, the scroll the lion, the lamb and what that means for our lives. but first we get to a little bit of a recap. This is necessary as chapter 4 and five kind of set the stage for the next few chapters. Coming up we are going to look into the coming judgments which are figuratively seen in the breaking of the seals on a scroll, the blowing of trumpets and bowls. It will all start to make sense as we go through all of it.

chapter 1 contained the intro to the book, the one that shows us that God is in control and holds us in His hands, that is if we are his children. We can trust in Him. We need this reminder as we go through what is going to come to pass.

Chapter 2-3 contains the letters to the seven churches. Each church was reminded of things that they need to change if they want to get serious about God. We are reminded that the church must not reflect the values of the world but rather the glory of God.

Chapter 4 We see a vision of God on His throne which reminds us that God is in control, God is still on His throne and this should lead us to worship Him. God is Holy, Holy. Holy and our worship needs to reflect that. This theme is continued into Chapter 5. We must remember the vision of our Holy God as we go into the intro to the great judgments that will be poured out on the earth.

The center of this chapter, and the rest of the book of Revelation I would argue we can see in the three hymns of this chapter we will look at in a bit.

Revelation 5:1 CSB

Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides, sealed with seven seals.

This scroll we are going to learn in the next few chapters ushers in a series of judgement on to earth to force people to make a choice about who they will follow. One last chance to choose. SO we first look at the scroll.

Papyrus scrolls where used for any printed document until the 2nd century A.D. when what we now know as books started to come into the market. The scrolls would be used for public or private documents.

The scroll we see mentioned in the first verse had printing on both sides of it. Yes this is a vision, but this would have actually happened back then anyways. Scrolls like this where sealed with wax blobs and signet rings to protect the content and guarantee the integrity of the contents. Kind of like signatures now. The scroll could only be opened after all of the seals where broken by the one who had the authority to do so. The content of the letter remained hidden till the one who was worthy broke the seals.

What was in the scroll? This is a speculation that has gone on for ages. what was so important that it ushered in such amazing things. It is kind of funny that people argue about such things.

Based on the research I have done, most people agree based on the evidence that we have in the bible that the Scroll contains the unveiling of the mystery of God that the oT prophets foretold. This mystery only Christ can disclose. The mystery of How God’s judgements and kingdom will come. How things will ultimately end for all people.

Evidence for this can be seen in Rev 10:7

Revelation 10:7 CSB

but in the days when the seventh angel will blow his trumpet, then the mystery of God will be completed, as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

There is more to this, this will have to do for now. The scroll containing the events that were to happen was held but the problem was no one could be found worthy to open it.,

Revelation 5:3–4 CSB

But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look in it. I wept and wept because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it.

If the scroll really did contain the revelation and carrying out of the final drama of creation, we can begin to understand the sadness of John. Like a TV series or book that leaves you waiting on a cliff hanger, and you just want to see the rest of the story. Except this is a little different. It brought John to tears.

We are morally incapable of affecting our own destiny. Morally we lose, we can not change where we are destined to go. The only one worthy of changing who we are is the Kings of Kings, it is Jesus. We are morally incompetent because of our sin.

The Lion

But fear not, the Lion of the tribe of Judah is worthy to open the scroll, who is the only one worthy of making us acceptable to enter heaven.

Revelation 5:5 CSB

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Look, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The imagery of the lion, why is this important. This comes all the way from Genesis 49:9-10 in the final blessing of Jacob to His 12 sons. The imagery of the lion is fairly straight forward and was meant to show the conquering messiah who would destroy Rome and free His people. The Lion is a powerful predator, the king of the jungle.

This passage is important as it reminds us that the King, the messiah would come from the line of Judah. Called the lion.

John is not to weep for the promised conqueror from the line of Judah is about to appear to open the scroll and reveal what is to come.

The Lamb

But there is another image, what appears to be in direct opposition to the imagery of the great lion. The slaughtered lamb. Rev 5:6-7

Revelation 5:6–7 CSB

Then I saw one like a slaughtered lamb standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth. He went and took the scroll out of the right hand of the one seated on the throne.

The Lion and the slaughtered lamb. Two images that do not go together. But both images that describe the messiah. The conquering king that came first as the sacrificial lamb.

But this not just any lamb, the slaughtered lamb that had risen had 7 horns and seven eyes. The horn is an ancient Jewish symbol for strength or power (cf. Deut 33:17). & being the number of completion, the perfect number represents perfect power, or what we call omnipotence. The seven eyes representing perfect wisdom, all seeing, all knowing. There is not literally going to be a lamb with 7 horns and eyes, but it is the imagery that we need to know about.

As F. F. Bruce notes, it is the arrival of the newly slaughtered Lamb that brings to fulfillment God’s purposes: “This is the central message of Revelation: The crucial event of all time is the sacrifice of Calvary; that was the decisive victory which has ensured the final triumph of God’s cause and God’s people over all the forces opposed to them.”

In one brilliant stroke John portrays the central theme of NT revelation—victory through sacrifice. “The Lion is the Lamb: the ultimate power of God (“Lion”) is manifest on the Cross (“Lamb”).”

majesty and power through the sacrifice on the cross, martyrdom of the saints is linked to this.

Inst this amazing? Jesus conquest through his sacrifice provides a model for us as believers, for we may be called as well to share in Jesus sacrifice.

Worthy

lastley I want to focus on the hymns of praise. It starts out with the four creatures we have gone over, and the elders. With harps and bowls of incense representing the prayers of the saints the sang a sand to the one that was worthy to unveil all that was to come.

Revelation 5:9–10 CSB

And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.

One of the greatest scenes of universal adoration is what we see here.

For these reasons the lamb was worthy to open the scrolls and unveil the mystery of the revelation of God. The lamb of God was slain for the sins of the world and rose again. Jesus died for your sins so that you might have freedom. This is a historical fact. He purchased people for God. We where bought with a piece by the blood of Jesus. That is what the sacrifice of Jesus did for those that Believed in Him, We are bought and paid for, now we must serve the giver of eternal life. The result of this is that we are made into a kingdom of priests.

You may think, I don't want to be a priest. But the meaning behind this is that we are made, as His children, to serve Him in Praise. The future K of G will be established one day and we will reign with Him and worship Him.

The hymn here also describes the fact that people from all nationalities, from every Kingdom, tribe and tongue will be represented in the children of God.

Revelation 5:12 CSB

They said with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!

Thousands upon thousands of Angels sing out as one massive choir surround the throne singing praise to the one who alone is worthy to open the scroll and reveal to us the revelation of God.

again we get the theme of the lamb who was slaughtered, the central theme of the bible, that Jesus died for us. The imagery represents the infinite honor and power of the one who is at the center of all of the praise.

The worthiness of the lamb stems from His great act of redemption. and lastley we have Rev 5:13-14

Revelation 5:13–14 CSB

I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say, Blessing and honor and glory and power be to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever! The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

So What?

Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord God Almighty Who was, and is, and is to come With all creation I sing: Praise to the King of Kings! You are my everything, And I will adore You... ! Clothed in rainbows, of living color Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder Blessing and honor, strength and Glory and power be To You the Only Wise King. I have always loved that song. It reminds us that we serve a Holy God. But we sometimes forget something.

God’s judgement on the world should invite us not to fear, but to hope. As hard as it is to hear sometimes, the judgments that are to come testify that God is in charge. We need not feel as if the suffering we go through is ignored by God. We grow to comfortable with the world then with suffering for the testimony of Jesus.

Victory through Sacrifice

The first thing that we learn is that victory came through sacrifice. It is only through the sacrifice of the lamb that victory and fulfillment of the promises of God will come to pass. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross ensures our freedom.

We are morally incapable of affecting our own destiny. Morally we lose, we can not change where we are destined to go. The only one worthy of changing who we are is the Kings of Kings, it is Jesus. We are morally incompetent because of our sin.

The central event of the cross shows us that we to may be called to sacrifice

Worthy of worship

We have gone through How we can worship God. God receives our prayers and worship as an aroma pleasing to Him. And as His children we are a “nation of priests” as in God has called us to pray and worship Him and to one day rule with Him. Our God is the only one worthy.

The whole earth was searched and Jesus was found to be the only one worthy to reveal the coming judgement, all that is to come to pass. The worship that God longs for is from our whole heart and soul. To be a living sacrifice for God.

Worthy is the, lamb who was slain, the only one worthy of our praise, the only one worthy to be the king of kings.