Revelation 5 - Who is Worthy?
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
If you have your Bibles let me invite you to open with me to the book of Revelation chapter 5.
As you turn there allow me to remind you of where we left off last week.
In chapters 2 and 3, John penned the seven letters to the seven churches …,
Upon completing the seven letters to the seven churches with all their chaos, and sin, and pain, and persecution…,
God then directs the eyes of John to a heavenly vision.
He invites him through an open door into the heavenly throne room.
And John beholds God in all of his glory as one who is seated upon the throne.
John beholds God,
seated on a throne
transcendent
beautiful
frightening
holy
and worthy of all worship
The vision that John receives of God’s throne room in the heavenly realm is nothing short of majestic…
But chapter 4 sets the stage for the real drama which unfolds in chapter 5.
chapter 4 lifts our eyes to a God who is bigger than we can fathom,
more holy than we can imagine,
and thus a God who feels somewhat frightening and unapproachable.
The question you find yourself asking at the end of chapter 4 is…,
“How could any man dwell in the presence of this God?”
“How could any man escape the judgment of this God?”
Chapter 5 is going to address those questions.
Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Lets Pray
Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
After all that John has seen…,
his eyes are drawn to the right hand of he who is seated on the throne.
He is holding a scroll…,
not just any scroll, but a scroll written on front and back with seven seals.
Most scrolls did not contain writing on front and back due to the way the lines of the papyrus paper work.
On the front it was easy to write because the ridges of the papyrus paper go left to write, but on the back the ridges go top to bottom making it to wear your having to write words over the bumpy parts of the paper…
only on important legal documents or wills or decrees of the king that contained a lot of information, would they write on front and back so that the important message was kept on the same scroll
This scroll contains a lot of information…,
thus it is written within and on the back…,
but not only is it a lot of information…, it is important information sealed with seven seals.
No one could look into this scroll unless they had the proper authorization to break those seals.
This is a scroll penned by the hand of God himself and can only be opened by he who God himself authorizes to do so.
The first question of course that we need to ask though…,
is “what in the world is this scroll all about?!”
Presumably the scroll contains what the rest of the book of Revelation will articulate.
It contains God’s plan for the end of all things.
It contains God’s decree for the end of the story
the script for the consummation and the completion of all history.
Opening this scroll will set into motion the plan for God’s final victory, his final judgment… and his final salvation of his people.
This leads us to our first Truth.
#1 God’s Plan and Purpose is Already Written
#1 God’s Plan and Purpose is Already Written
There is no guess work when it comes to whether God will usher in final victory over evil.
There is no maybe or maybe not when it comes to God’s promise of final salvation and judgment.
It is written.
The decree of God is sealed on a scroll in the heavens.
God’s will is not a hopeful will.
He is not in heaven, hoping that things will end a certain way.
Listen to one commentator’s take on this scroll:
He writes:
the scroll in Revelation 5 is the entirety of God’s will for history, both in judging the wicked and in redeeming his people. This scroll is written on both sides, showing that it contains the entire story of God’s will.
John sees that the one seated on the throne, has in his hand, the plan and purpose for all of creation.
But the vision poses what at first feels like a problem.
A mighty angel proclaims with a loud voice so that all of the heavens and earth can hear…
“Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
In other words…, who can bring this plan to fruition?
Who has the authority to usher in the final judgment and the final salvation of God’s sovereign plan.
Who can accomplish it?
The mighty angel asks this question with a voice powerful enough to echo to every corner of heaven and earth……..
But his question is met at first with silence.
The beasts, as majestic as they are, do not claim to be worthy
The elders do not claim to be worthy
No angelic being claims to be worthy
and of course no human being is worthy.
There is a silence in heaven and on earth at the asking of this question only to be broken by John’s weeping.
4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
The striking thing to me here is John’s loud weeping.
There is a longing in John for God to accomplish final victory over all the evil in the world.
There is a longing in John for God to conquer once and for all.… to judge his persecutors, to redeem God’s people.
To right all that is wrong with the world.
But John recognizes his own incapability.
There is a recognition that he himself is unable to bring about God’s eternal plan and purpose.
No one is worthy to open this scroll
No one in heaven
no one on earth
no one under the earth is able to open this scroll or even to look into it.
But I think thats part of the point of the vision John is receiving.
I think he is meant to feel the weight of this truth
and so are the churches that would receive this book
and so are we.
We are meant to feel the weight of this reality.
#2 We Are Not Worthy
#2 We Are Not Worthy
We are meant to feel a sense of helplessness when we read this vision.
the weight of what we cannot ultimately do.
We cannot win the war against our sin,
we cannot accomplish our own salvation,
we cannot accomplish anyone else’s salvation,
We certainly are not the ones who will bring the whole cosmic spiritual war to an end.
we cannot undo all that evil has done and is doing in the world,
We cannot come into the presence of this God…
The scroll of God’s eternal decrees are sealed up
and we cannot open a single seal with our weak and sin stained hands.
And if the seal can’t be broken,
and the scroll can’t be opened,
John, at least in this vision, fears that the plan cannot be accomplished.
Sin will continue to plague the world
Satan will continue to devour the righteous
Sinners will go on rejecting God
and God’s people will go on being persecuted.
Hurricanes will keep blowing through whole communities,
Diseases, and viruses, and cancer cells will keep wrecking lives and families
War will continue as man’s kingdom will keep rebelling against God’s kingdom.
And John feels this deeply
and he weeps loudly because no one, including him, was found worthy to open the scroll.
You need to sit in the hopelessness for just a moment where all you hear are the hopeless cries of John….
Until…, his weeping is met with an announcement
verse 5.
And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
What begins to unfold before us is the announcement
and the entrance of Jesus,
the only one who is worthy to open the scroll.
The one through whom the unfolding of God’s eternal plan will be accomplished.
Jesus is introduced and in verse 5 John is commanded to BEHOLD what he sees.
As Jesus enters this heavenly throne room….
he is given two titles which point to his role as the conquering king prophesied about throughout the entire old testament story.
#3 Jesus is Worthy Because He is the Promised King
#3 Jesus is Worthy Because He is the Promised King
He is called the Lion of Judah.
This comes from a prophesy about a coming king from the family line of Judah who would rule like a lion.
We find that in Genesis 49:9-10
Genesis 49:9–10 (ESV)
9 Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Jesus is that descendant from the line of Judah who now rules over the entire universe like a Lion rules over his territory, unmatched by any other creature in strength and power.
Lions are often referred to as the king of the animal kingdom because they are at the absolute top of the food chain.
They rule over territories without any challenger.
And so does Jesus rule over the cosmos without any real challenger to his power and authority.
Jesus is also called “the root of David”
David was the most successful king in the history of Israel- unmatched in his victories over the Philistines who warred against God’s people.
But even the military success of David
was only a foreshadow to the King that would come from David’s line.
King David was promised a descendent who would sit on a throne that would never be shaken, never come to an end, never be overthrown.
and Jesus is introduced in the New Testament as that king from David’s blood line who was to set up an eternal kingdom.
Listen to what the angel told Mary upon announcing her miraculous pregnancy.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Jesus fulfilled every prophesy
and every promise
God had given to his people for thousands of years….,
and in the midst of John’s weeping over his own unworthiness…,
King Jesus enters as the one who is worthy.
The one who will establish his eternal kingdom.
Only He can open the scroll.
All of prophetic Scripture has been pointing to His coming…,
but how?
How does he accomplish the plan so that he can open the scrolls?
What did he do that makes him both worthy and able to open the scroll and bring God’s plan to completion
Well let’s keep reading.
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
It has been announced that a Lion is entering the courts to open the scroll
But when John looks he doesn’t see a Lion.
He catches a vision of what he describes to be a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.
#4 Jesus is Worthy Because He is the Lamb Who Was Slain
#4 Jesus is Worthy Because He is the Lamb Who Was Slain
What John beholds is hardly a picture of lion like power.
The angel had said this was the lion of Judah…,
but he doesn’t look like a lion.
He is a lamb…,
a lamb with seven eyes symbolizing that he sees all things and knows all things.
A lamb with seven horns symbolizing that he does have perfect power and dominion
but he is bloody..
It is apparent that he has been slain.
Sacrificed
killed
slaughtered
What John sees is a bloody, humble, sacrifice.
This is a picture of meekness.
this is a picture of humility.
This is hardly a picture of military might and strength…
I coach Owen’s soccer teams and every year I coach, I ask what the boys want their mascot to be...
every year when I ask that question little boys blurt out things that you might expect:
dragons
alligators
tigers
lions
jaguars
this year we are the crushers...
I’ve yet to have anyone blurt out… sheep… lets be the lambs.
yet here is the one who is worthy to conquer all evil and usher in God’s eternal purposes…
and he’s a lamb.
But as the Lamb who was slain enters into view…,
coming from beside the throne…,
all the heavenly beings surrounding the throne know exactly who he is and what he has accomplished.
They break out into a song where they clearly articulate exactly why Jesus is worthy to take the scroll.
8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
Jesus can take the scroll and break its seals to accomplish the plan of God
precisely because Jesus was slaughtered like a sacrificial lamb.
The angelic beings praise him because he accomplished something with the pouring out of his own blood.
“By his blood” he ransomed people for God
by his blood…, he accomplished something.
He a paid a purchase price
he claimed victory over God’s enemies.
The enemies of God are sin, Satan, and death.
These are the forces of evil that plague humanity.
Every human being is a sinner.
Every human being is under the influence of Satan.
Every human being must pay the eternal death penalty for their sin
But Jesus is the Conquering King…
He conquered by
becoming a human being…,
resisting sin entirely,
resisting satan entirely,
and then he paid the death price for sinners with his own blood.
He paid the price for every sinful human who would trust him for salvation.
Like the passover lamb in the exodus story whose blood was placed on the door so that the wrath of God might pass over each household…
Jesus became the new passover lamb so that by his blood
the wrath of God might pass over every individual who trusts Jesus as Lord and Savior.
And just like the kingdom of Pharaoh would be plundered and brought to an end,
so to would the kingdom of Satan be plundered and brought to its end.
This is what Jesus did for you.
He became a conquering king for you by Being slaughtered for you and taking the wrath of God for you.
And now HE is worthy to open the scroll which brings the Spiritual War to its conclusion on the last day!
He conquers sin, and Satan, and death for you through his living, and his sacrificial dying, and resurrecting for you.
Recognize what this is communicating.
The cross of Jesus Christ and his resurrection is the central event in the history of God’s created order.
He pre-determined this plan for the salvation of his people…,
salvation through the atonement, the substitutionary sacrifice, of God the Son,
who would take on human flesh, and give himself for the salvation of humanity.
THE message of Christianity is that you are NOT worthy…,
but Jesus who is eternally worthy gave himself for you SO THAT he might make you worthy to become the people of God.
This is the plan.
#5 Jesus is Worthy Because He Ransoms a People for God
#5 Jesus is Worthy Because He Ransoms a People for God
Look back again at the text, and what Jesus accomplishes for us.
And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
To ransom means to purchase with a payment.
Jesus purchased a people with the payment of his blood Sacrifice.
The first thing we note about this people whom Jesus ransomed is the extent of his ransoming and saving work.
He did not just ransom his 12 disciples,
He did not just ransom a special group of particularly righteous people.
No, Jesus’ work on the cross accomplished the ransoming of people from every tribe,
and language,
and people,
and nation across the whole world.
Christianity is not uniquely American…,
When Jesus went to the cross he had on his heart the cannibals from the New Hebrides islands, the violent animist of Burma, the hindus of Bali Indonesia, the muslims of the middle east.
When Jesus went to the cross he had you on his heart,
And he had on his heart the people whom you would evangelize from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
Recognize that when we share the message of Jesus…,
We participate in what Jesus is doing to conquer this evil world… and create for himself a ransomed people.
Not only do we see the geographical and cultural extent of Jesus’ ransoming power…
But We also see the spiritual extent of his ransoming power.
We see that not only is Jesus forgiving wicked people to the ends of the earth.
he is also transforming them.
Listen to the word of praise in verse 10….
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
Jesus is taking wicked people of the world
and he is making them a whole new kingdom of priests to God
he is making them to be divine royalty in God’s new created order.
They shall reign on the earth.
Jesus is taking people who were once far from him, rebellious, wicked, and corrupt…
people who were building their own evil kingdoms….
And he is transforming them to be a people who will dwell in the presence of God forever
This is something that Jesus is doing right now… with every person who repents and believes.
This is why John begins with the book praising Jesus for the ways he has already accomplished this transforming work…
….To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
If you are a Christian in this room….
right now who have already been made to be a priest to our God.
He hears your prayers,
he invites you into his presence
he invites you to participate in his purposes On earth.
This is in part why John notices in the throne room this symbolic vision of the prayers of the saints in the form of bowls of incense in the heavenly throne room.
The word “saint” is never used for a special elite category of person in the Bible.
The word means holy ones or set apart ones, and it always refers to who Christ has made all Christians To be.
We are all made to be holy ones in the presence of God because of the holiness of Jesus…,
I’ll give just one example where Paul refers to all the Christians in Ephesus as saints.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
If we put faith in Jesus… he makes us saints.. his holy ones..
and here even in this scene where Jesus is taking the scroll which contains the final fulfillment of all of God’s plans…,
in the midst of this… John sees the prayers of the saints — all the Christians for all time..
A reminder to John …, that his prayers are not pointless…,
his prayers and your prayers are a part of the cosmic plan of God.
God aims to work through your prayers, to answer your prayers, to bring his plan to fruition.
We are ransomed, not just to observe the accomplishment of God’s purposes.
But we are ransomed to participate Both now and forever.
Jesus is taking murderers, and adulterers, and liars, and sinners of all kinds…,
And he is making them a kingdom of priests who participate in the kingdom building project who enjoy the presence of God
Who will will reign with him forever.
The end of the world will be a stunning display of what God can do..
taking sinners like you and me and transforming us into one big beautiful kingdom of priests to our God.
The future scene in heaven will be an unimaginable mosaic of the millions of people whom Jesus ransomed from all over the world, each with their own unique story of receiving God’s grace.
all of heaven is amazed by the work that God does in saving and transforming sinners like us.
Peter says in his epistle that these things upon which angels long to look
Look at the Rest of the chapter.
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
This is really the end for which God made the world.
This will be the end result of the scroll being opened.
All of heaven and earth will worship God not just as creator, but as redeemer of his people.
The end of the story is a redeemed people along with all of heaven and earth glorifying Jesus who is worthy of all honor, glory, and blessing.
so what do we do with all this….
Let me give you some takeaways:
#1 Confess
#1 Confess
The whole scene begins with a reminder that you are no one is worthy.
So much of your anxiety in life is crippling because you are trying to prove that you are some how worthy.
Worthy of other people’s praise
Worthy of other people’s affection
Worthy of God’s acceptance
Worthy of the life your living
but no one is worthy enough,
but the good news of the gospel…
is that you don’t have to be...,
because there is one who lived the worthy life for you….
you are free now to confess your sin,
your struggles,
your weaknesses,
you are free to admit that you can’t measure up….,
confession is a part of the Christian life,
because the bloody sacrifice of Jesus already declares what we deserve for all to see.
so we confess….
and we trust….
#2 Trust
#2 Trust
We trust God’s plan and purposes will be accomplished.
We trust the worthiness of Jesus to ransom us and to transform us and to use us for his purposes.
We did not wright the scroll, we cannot open the scroll, we cannot accomplish whats in the scroll. we trust the one who can.
#3 Pray
#3 Pray
We actively trust he who is worthy through our prayers.
When we pray we are confessing to what we cannot accomplish,
and we are asking God to do what only he can do.
We pray, truly pray, as a declaration of our dependence upon his work in our lives.
We pray, as an act of obedience and as a way of participating with God in what he is doing in the world.
Without prayer, we are attempting to fulfill his purposes, without trusting his power.
#4 Sing
#4 Sing
Throughout Revelation we are reminded that worship is a huge part of our purpose.
We enjoy the goodness and the grace of God through our declaring and praising and singing and telling and meditating upon who God is, and what he is doing, and what he will do.
When we sing, we participate in the purpose for which God created the world.
When a visitor comes to this church I do not want them to be impressed by the instrumentation on the stage…, but I want them to be amazed at the roar of the voices of this congregation who believes truly what they are singing and who enjoys communing with their God in worship.
#5 Follow
#5 Follow
It would be a shame if we missed the practical application of the way in which Jesus is presented in this vision.
Jesus conquered through humility,
He conquered through self-sacrifice,
He conquered through persevering even through suffering,
and he led the way for what we are called to…
to walk in humility,
to love through self-sacrifice,
to persevere through difficulty,
He lived the worthy life for us,
but he also taught us how to pursue the worthy life for his glory.
He is making us even now to live holy, Christ-like lives, by his grace for his glory.
lets respond rightly to his revelation.
lets confess, trust, pray, sing, and follow until one day we see him face to face.
lets pray.
