The Lamb Who Reigns

Good morning friends! Happy new year, it is wonderful to be with you in fellowship and to journey in the Scriptures together as we set ourselves for this year our Lord has made.

As we prepare our hearts and minds for what lies ahead for us as God’s people, and while some of us may still be easing into things, enjoying some rest and time to pause after all the festivities, I thought it would be an encouragement and hopefully blessing for us to reflect upon and press in to the hope and joy that we have set before us because our Lord Jesus is on the throne and has freed us from our chains of bondage so we have renewed life because of his work on the cross and a mission as citizens in the kingdom of heaven.

We have just come out of the Advent of Christmas, where we reflect and remember and wait in anticipation for that day when we celebrate the arrival and birth of Jesus to this earth, the signalling that God had now come to fully reveal himself through his son and to wage war against the powers of this world, opening up the way of release from sin and death that ensnares humanity.

Yet I believe even more important to the anticipation, build-up and focus that we bring to the Advent of Christmas...should be our focus and desire to press into and testify of the Advent of our Lord Jesus’ second coming, the anticipation and waiting period of these last days that we, on the other side of the cross, are living in.

Now there is no greater book in the Bible that expresses and points to this great hope than Revelation...in my humble opinion. For all its complexity and weirdness with beasts, dragons and awesome visions of the unseen realm, if we are able to step back a little and take in the sounds and the sights that John shares with us in this beautiful letter, I believe we will be deeply encouraged, emboldened and blessed by the truth revealed to us by our Heavenly Father through the testimony of the Lord Jesus.

As is written in verse 3 of the first chapter… ‘blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.’

So let’s go on a blessed journey together! I’ll invite Liz to share the reading with us...

Revelation 1:1-7.

In the very first verse of John’s letter to the churches there are a couple key terms that are important for us to understand if we are to glean the riches contained within. First we have the word from which the title of the book comes, Revelation. the Greek term apokalypsis, from where we get apocalypse, informs us that this is an unveiling or revealing of something or someone. And what is being unveiled? The Lord Jesus...God revealed in human form through the incarnate son. Of the great mysteries we reflect upon in our universe is this question...who is God, and how does he relate to his creation? Many in our day have an opinion on God don’t they...whether he is good, whether he actually cares and is involved in our lives, whether he even exists...and history shows us countless traditions and pagan portrayals of people’s imaginations of who this divine being, or more commonly, who these divine beings might be and what they want of us here on earth.

The writer of Hebrews gives us this incredible summary that fills out this first sentence in Revelation. Listen to these words from Hebrews 1:1-4...

This is a powerful portrayal of our Lord Jesus isn’t it! If you want to know who God truly is, and how he relates to us, the writer in Hebrews and indeed Revelation says...look to the son of God, the radiance of his glory, the exact imprint of his nature. As Jesus said to his disciples… ‘if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.’ So coming back to our passage in Revelation, we have an unveiling of our Lord God to those who are willing to hear the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The second term for us to pay attention to is the Greek word semaino, translated as ‘to show’ or ‘make known.’ This term implies that something can be perceived or understood through one or more of our senses, so for example through the Word...what we hear and read, and by signs or symbols...what we see. This is how God reveals or unveils himself to his creation.

An example of a sign or symbol that we can relate to is the cross. For most of us when we see an image of the cross we don’t normally think, oh, two pieces of wood fixed together in such a fashion that one can be nailed to it as a form of torture and death. That is all true of course, in a literal sense that is exactly what a cross is.

But most of us today, even if not a believer, upon seeing a cross are drawn to consider the meaning beyond it...what it represents. We might think of sacrifice, atonement for sins, the horror of wickedness in the world and in our own humanity, or perhaps victory in weakness.

Far from being two pieces of wood we are invited to consider things much greater and profound through these signs or symbols! And so John is compelling his hearers and readers to remember these things as he writes this apocalypse to the churches...there is a great unveiling and it is going to be portrayed with marvelous signs and symbols that draw the listener in to engage their senses and meditate on the truths we are to consider and trust in.

Today there are questions and concerns that parrallel in some ways to the hearers of John’s day. Diving deeper to the questions of who God is and his interaction with creation are some of the more personal considerations we wrestle with. For so many in our communities there is this awareness that there is more to life than what’s in front of them, but are unable to grasp what it’s all about. Or in the face of great challenges or seasons of hardship even us as believers have questions… ‘what is God doing now?’ ‘Where is this all leading?’ ‘Why is this struggle to remain faithful so difficult, and are we wasting our time?’

As a teenager I went through a season of questioning and disilusionment about what it meant to be a young man in a society and culture that had so twisted and tarnished the image of being a man that I almost felt ashamed to be one myself. I was blessed to have a strong faith in Jesus, that never wavered, but as the world gave me this image of the overwhelming objectification of women, unashamed sustaining and funding of industry to sustain our lusts, and the great horror of trafficking children for exploitation and pleasure...was this what it was to be a man? Was it inevitable that my life would reflect this image or was there a different image possible? And it is tragic isn’t it that these kinds of questions rise up again as we are seeing prominent Christian leaders fail gravely in this area.

Honest questions and genuine wrestling with God are very much part of the Christian walk aren’t they! Ever more so as we see the destruction, abuse, sickness, wars and rumours of wars...assertion of power in its different forms across the world...to the vulnerable and humble believer it almost REQUIRES us to consider deeply these questions, and gives us pause to not give quick or superficial answers.

Well Revelation gives us a framework and a stage on which we can view the grand theatre of history, where we see the rise and fall of various beasts that would seek to have dominion and power, but where the the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings has come and freed us from our greatest bondage, sin...and established a new kingdom where his glory and dominion will be forever and ever. And just in case we are tempted to get comfortable in our seats and watch this great theatre pass by our eyes, as we listen to the music and sounds all around around us, we are told that we have been made priests to God the Father, and ready or not, we are now on the stage as well, playing our part in this grand saga. For those who have declared Jesus as Lord and King we are transformed from hopeless rebels into useful servants in the kingdom of heaven...no longer spectators, we are now actors on the grand stage.

Yet far from trying to work out our parts all on our own we have an incredible image and example of what it looks like to live as God’s people, through the life and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and climatically through his willing sacrifice on the cross...that he can now say to each of us as we step onto the stage, ‘take up your cross and follow me!’ And by his Spirit which tablernacles within the heart of every believer we are equiped with all we need to live holy and consecrated lives as faithful witnesses and willing servants to the glory of our God. I believe you may have reflected on some of these beautiful realities as expressed by Paul in Ephesians 1 last week!

To a teenager wrestling with the image that the world would place upon him and the lense through which many might presumtuously view him through, this reality that I am made in the image of my Lord Jesus and am redeemed to display his love, sacrifice and care for the vulnerable and exploited in the world...revolutionised the way I not only viewed myself, but gave me incredible hope and courage to surrender to God’s purposes and seek to shine a different vision into the world other than the one I was surrounded by.

And that should be true for all of us who are actors on the stage of present history, as citizens of God’s kingdom here on earth!

Now, as we’ve identified the nature of this revelation of Jesus Christ witnessed to by John, and as we are reminded that this great unveiling is being portrayed through signs and symbols, let’s turn forward to chapters 4 and 5 to consider this question which permiates our lives, whether in our daily routines, through dark valleys of tribulation, or in significant crossroads of chosing obedience or rebellion...what does victory look like in the kingdom of God? And by extension how is this victory obtained?

This section is one of the most decisive and powerful in all of the Bible! You can follow along, or just listen to the vision being shared here. With all we’ve considered so far I want us to pay attention to two things...what John hears, and what he sees. Listen as the text to and fros between the sounds and sights that John witnesses in this heavenly scene. And as we do that, hold on to the question we are considering...what does victory look like, and how is it obtained in the kingdom of God?

Rev 4-5.

In this absolutely awesome moment when the door between heaven and earth is opened, and where through John’s vision we are invited to see God’s sphere of reality...what’s going on from a heavenly perspective. We get an incredible ‘behind the scenes’ insight into what will take place, and how it all fits together and makes sense. What these chapters also reveal is that this is not the final chapter in God’s purposes. This vision isn’t the ultimate new creation, or the final resting place of God’s people...that’s still chapters down the line.

No, it is rather an invitation to see reality in the present moment. We are invited to see that behind the powers of this world, behind the messiness and confusion of life in our current culture, behind the struggles and trials of each individual...there stands a heavenly throne room in which the Lord and Creator of the world rules and is sovereign over all.

Now while all this is true and certainly offers encouragement, as we continue to witness this scene we are confronted with the truth that creation still needs someone worthy to rescue it from the deadly perils and the vicious cycle of death and sin that have entangled it. There is work to be done to overthrow the forces that are out to destroy the very handiwork of God. And tragically, we ourselves have made it all the worse by becoming part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Right is the response of John to weep bitterly...if this was the final scene of history. ‘Who is worthy?’ The question of the mighty angel echoes across all generations from Adam to present day… ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll, and bring about the redemption and restoration of all the world?’

There is only one...the Lord Jesus...and verses 5-6 of chapter 5 gives us a glorious and multidimensional portrayal of the worthy one, the Messaiah King. And it is profound. What John hears is the announcement of the Lion...and yet what he sees is the Lamb. And in this moment we are called to see these two images now fused together, both true images of the worthy Saviour. The lion, a symbol of power, might and authority...and the Lamb, a symbol of gentleness, vulnerability and, through its sacrifice, the ultimate weakness of death. Both images rich and full of Old Testament parallels, and yet images that even one who doesn’t have that background insight can also appreciate.

A new song rings across the heavens, echoing the incredible passage in Daniel 7 where after the raging of the monsters and the vindication of the ‘son of man,’ God claims victory and establishes his rule over the whole earth in and through his people, the holy ones of the Most High. ‘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 ad people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’

There is so much we could unpack from this incredible scene but as we close I want us to return to the question we considered earlier. ‘What does victory look like in the kingdom of God? See the Lamb, standing as though it had been slain...and then look at the cross...Look at Christ crucified, and see Christ glorified. The cross was not defeat; it was and is victory.

It was not failure: it was and is the salvation of the world. The kingdom that Jesus established through his cross came without wars, without battlefields, and without the killing of enemies. What is seen as weakness in the world was in fact the conquering power of our God. Our king won his kingdom by dying, not by killing, by a sacrificial death, not a bloody conquest. And it is through this lamb-like sacrifice that we see most clearly the glory and power and unmeasurable love of our God. And we can have absolute assurance that in our weakness, in our messiness, in our crazy world, we have victory in God’s kingdom if we have confessed Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and take up our cross and follow him, for we have a God who loves us so much that he would come into this world, to wash our feet, to be a suffering servant, and who sacrificed himself so that we might have life in his name.

This is the greatest story ever lived out on this earth isn’t! And you and I are invited on to the stage to be a part of it...not to live as lions, trying to enforce God’s will and make the world come into line by force and violence...but also not just as a lamb where we have our sins wiped away so we can escape this fallen world...no, says John, think of the lion, and gaze upon the lamb.

Lion-like victory is found in lamb-like sacrifice for one another as we serve our Lord faithfully, as through our weaknesses he makes himself most gloriously known. And as the all-powerful and all-seeing God who is worthy to open the scroll, we can journey through this Advent towards his second coming with great joy, and with great purpose, to be beatitude people wherever God has placed us on the stage of history...because the victory is assured, and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world is worthy of our choruses of worship and the surrendering of our lives for his glory and honour!

Amen