"The Lamb Has Conquered"

There are a lot of symbols that we use in the church - the cross being the most obvious, but there’s also the burning bush, the dove, the pelican, the star, and the anchor.

One of my favourites is the Agnus Dei - the lamb of God. Most commonly the lamb is presented carrying a banner of victory. In the logo of the Moravian Church, the lamb is surrounded by the words, “The lamb has conquered: Let us follow him!”

The Lamb has conquered. Let us follow him.

Those are some amazing, wonderful, inspiring words.

And whilst they aren’t directly taken from today’s reading, we can see them there very clearly.

Picking up where we left off last week, John’s vision of the throne in heaven continues as he sees a scroll written on the inside and back, sealed with seven seals.

This scroll seems to hark back to Ezekiel’s vision, in which a long scroll was unfurled which contained “words of lament and mourning and woe” on both sides. But unlike that scroll, this one is sealed. And it was sealed seven times - that number of perfection again.

But more than that, there would be a meaning here which was clear to the original readers: under roman law, an individual’s last will and testament would be sealed with the seals of seven witnesses to confirm its authenticity. Once sealed, only a worthy and authorised individual such as the executor of the deceased’s estate could open it.

So whilst this obviously isn’t God’s last will and testament, we are to understand that this scroll represent’s God’s instructions. It’s His ultimate plan for the earth and for His people - it contains the things “that must take place after this” which were promised in chapter 4.

But we see in the vision that nobody in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it.

And John weeps bitterly.

This word for weeping, Klaio, is often used to refer to mourning the dead, or to reacting to some terrible loss such as Peter’s weeping for his broken friendship after denying Christ. John is feeling that awful pain because he sees that nobody can reveal God’s plan

And that response is understandable. How would you feel if it seemed certain that God’s plans were to remain hidden and would not be carried out, and that there would be no ultimate resolution to sin and death?

It would be horrific.

Awful.

Deeply upsetting.

But then when all hope seem lost one of the elders speaks:

Revelation 5:5 NRSV

“Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The Lion of the tribe of Judah: the promised messiah who will rule over all and who the prophets have spoken of since the days of Abraham.

And in case there were any doubt as to who this Messiah is, John looks and he sees

Revelation 5:6 NRSV

between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

And that lamb, as we saw John the Baptist proclaim in today’s gospel reading, is Jesus Christ the lamb of God.

And that lamb is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah who has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.

And to make things even clearer, the lamb has seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God: this is a very clear trinitarian statement of Christ’s divinity.

So what does it mean that the lamb has conquered?

Look at verse six again: the lamb was standing as if it had been slaughtered. And this is a familiar image to the Jewish reader because lambs were regularly slaughtered in the temple as sacrifices. Twice a day in fact.

And once a year a lamb was specifically slaughtered for the festival of passover, which commemorated God’s angel of death sparing the houses of the Israelites before leading them out of Egypt. And that lamb represented the lamb which the Israelite families killed and ate that night, smearing its blood on their doorposts so that the angel would pass by.

So in a sense that lamb in Egypt was killed as a substitute for the firstborn in the household.

And look what the elders and the living creatures say as the praise the lamb - and let’s note again by the way that just as in chapter 4 we saw these figures who represent all of creation, and who represent God’s people, worshipping the Father on the throne now in chapter 5 we see them worshipping the Son - the lamb who ahas conquered: They say

Revelation 5:9 NRSV

you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;

Just as the blood of the passover lamb covered the lives of the Israelite firstborn, so the blood of Christ -slaughtered as a sacrifice on the cross - has covered ours.

We’re ransomed.

Purchased.

Christ has taken the punishment that was ours.

And in taking on that punishment the lamb has conquered death and sin.

So what does all this tell us?

First of all, it tells us that without the saviour, we are helpless. John rightly despaired at the possibility that God’s ultimate plan might not be revealed. And that possibility existed because nobody was worthy. A call that was heard throughout all of heaven and earth found none to be worthy, except the lamb who had conquered. God the son himself.

We can’t bring about God’s kingdom through our own actions. We can’t force God’s hand. We certainly cannot bring about our own salvation.

And we should understand that not as a despairing acceptance of our own inability, but rather as comfort.

Because EVEN THOUGH we cannot reconcile ourselves to God, and even though our sins seperate us from the Father and EVEN THOUGH we have done n6thing to deserve salvation EVEN SO Christ paid the penalty of our sins with his blood.

And EVEN THOUGH we cannot bring about God’s plan through our own actions, we know that they will nontheless come about.

Because the lamb has conquered.

And secondly it assures us that there is a plan.

And this is incredibly important. In John’s vision we see God’s plan represented by a scroll full of so much writing htat it covers both sides. A scroll so large that it is sealed seven times. A scroll which is placed right next to the Father within easy reach, so important is it.

Which means that we know there is a plan for everything.

When we face hardships, we know that God has a plan.

When we face injustice, we know that God has a plan.

When we experience pain and sickness and even death, we know that God has a plan.

Which means that all of these things are not pointless, or meaningless.

It means that God is going to address them.

It means God is going to bring ultimate peace and healing and justice.

And so it means that we can accept these things with hope and the sure knowledge that ultimately all will be made well.

And that God cares deeply about His creation, and that His plan reflects that.

And we also know that his plan has been put into action.

And that the central point of that plan, the most important even in the entirety of human history, has occured on the cross when Christ was crucified, and in the garden when he rose again.

And we know that that God’s plan will come to fruition because the lamb has conquered.

An event so important that it is the reason the lamb is worthy of opening the seals.

And the third thing that we see clearly in today’s reading is that the correct response to all of this is worship.

We see the living creatures and the elders worship the lamb, with harps and incense bowls that are the prayers of the saints - and isn’t that interesting, that we see that our prayers are a part of worship in this vision? Emphasising again the myriad forms of worship as we discussed last week - and then after they sing their first vers we see that they are joined by “many angels” for a second verse. And then for the third verse the numbers increase even further to encompass “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them.”

We’re seeing very clearly that Christ’s atoning sacrifice demands worship from all of creation.

It demands worship from all in heaven and on earth.

It demands worship from the church.

It demands worship from each and every one of us.

And Christ calls us to give him honour and glory by living out lives that are dedicated to him.

By loving one another.

By living our lives as living sacrifices to him.

By showing the world his love and telling them of his sacrifice.

That all may turn to him and share in eternal life.

The lamb has conquered. Let us follow him.