Jesus Is Worthy

Pretext: The text we are in today is Rev. 5:1-7. The Apostle John is deep in the middle of a vision from God. In Chapter 4 he had entered the room where God was seated on His throne. It was surrounded by 24 other thrones where the 24 Elders were seated. There was flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder, torches of fire and strange looking angels crying out ceaselessly; HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the Lord. John, like any of us would have been, was awe struck. In Ch 5 we get to see what John witnessed that turned his awe to intense sadness and sorrow. Then we get to behold what shifted John from anguish to joy. Jesus Is Worthy Introduction: Worthy, worthy is, worthy of, worthiness. Dictionary.com 1. having adequate or great merit, character, or value 2. of commendable excellence or merit; deserving 3. a person of eminent worth, merit, or position Jesus was born into this world already the Son of God. He did not have to earn the position or perform any miraculous feats to receive that title. That is who He was and is. But we must acknowledge that according to Holy Scripture, Christ was sent here with a bold mission. One that only He could accomplish, only He could complete. Jesus was simply to, SAVE THE WORLD. The Lord was to rescue the lost sinners from under the HUGE weight of Sovereign justice. Justice for all of us meant eternal punishment in Hell, for breaking every one of Gods commandments. To finish this task of REDEMPTION for you and me would cost Him everything. Not only must Jesus endure hatred from His enemies and desertion by His friends, but finally, worst of all, be forsaken by His Father, in His time of greatest need, while hanging on that torturous cross. Jesus paid it all. Gods purpose for this message is to persuade us all, that Jesus was, is and always will be, WORTHY. Worthy of our worship, worthy of our trust and faith, worthy of our very lives. The goal is to convince you with these biblical truths to trust in Jesus for salvation and for all of life’s decisions. Jesus is worthy for these REASONS: I. BECAUSE JESUS IS THE LION OF JUDAH Rev 5:1 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. Rev 5:2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" So, regarding this scroll, what is it, is it significant? I would say yes, it’s in the right hand of God almighty as He sits on HIS THRONE. Gods mighty right hand is spoken of over 50 times in the bible. If He’s holding it, it’s profoundly important. He’s not daring someone to come and take it. But He’s offering it to the one who is able, not just to take it, but to open the seals. What is it? What is written on it? What does it say? This is one of the questions about the Bible I have an answer to. I DON’T KNOW. NOBODY ON EARTH KNOWS. Here’s what we have: 1. God holds it 2. It is written on the inside and the outside. That’s unusual, one side is smooth, other is rough. Maybe it is a way to say, “it says it all”. It’s complete, no more room to write anything. 3. It’s got 7 seals. 7 is the number of completion. Some say 7 is number of perfection. There is 7 days in a week. Come spend a week with me. That’s perfection? There are theologians who have theories. 1. Old and New Testament 2. Book of Revelation 3. Gods divorce decree to Israel. This is pushed by churches who are into Replacement Theology, that believe God cut off Israel and the church replaced them. BIG NO on that. Bible teaches the primary people used in the Tribulation is Israel. 70th Week of Daniel, Time of Jacobs Trouble. God has not cut off Israel. But there is one plausible theory. God holds in His hand the Deed to the Planet Earth. Who is worthy to take that? It was given to Adam. It was taken from him because of sin. So, the only one who could rightly take it back would have to be sinless. I only know ONE. But the Bible focus is not really on the contents of the scroll. Or even on the 7 seals. If God wanted that to be known, wanted that to matter, He would have told us. The focus is on the one WORTHY to open it. Rev 5:3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, Rev 5:4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. No one was able, none were qualified, no one had the credentials. Abraham, the man of faith Moses, the Law giver Samuel, prophet prayer warrior… all silent John the Baptist, greatest man born of woman Apostle Paul, wrote 2/3 of New Testament Mary, most powerful figure in the Catholic Church, couldn’t step up. John wept, sobbing for mankind, God’s plan was stalled, we were sunk, there was no hope left. BUT WAIT… Rev 5:5 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." The tide had turned. An Elder, one of the 24 who sit around the Throne, saw John in distress. Pastor Jeff Kingery from a church in Missouri describes it like this. A deacon in the Throne Room Church saw a first-time visitor to the worship, in distress. He dropped what he was doing and went to minister to John. And he did what a good deacon or any church member should…he pointed John to Jesus. He told John to fix his eyes on Christ, because He is the Lion of Judah, the root of David. That’s from Gen 49:9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?  Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. It means Jesus is the King of Kings. Jesus came from David’s lineage physically and as Creator He began David’s heritage. He is both David’s Lord and David’s son, from Matthew 22... II. BECAUSE JESUS IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN Rev 5:6 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. Rev 5:7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. John turned around expecting a Lion. He saw a Lamb. You see it wasn’t brute strength that set the captive free. It was shed blood. It was sacrifice that won the day. In the center of it all, a Lamb. As the Lamb, Jesus had descended from Heaven to earth in humiliation, becoming God in human flesh. He overcame the trials and temptations of life. Withstood the agony at the Garden of Gethsemane. Endured the pain and shame of the Cross. Won victory over sin and death. He ascended into Heaven. WORTHY. The lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus was not merely killed, He was offered up as sacrifice. He now offers escape from judgement. Do you know the only MAN-MADE thing that will be in Heaven when we get there? His SCARS. Brow, side, hands, feet. He will ever exhibit the marks of sacrifice. The sacrifice never grows stale before God. Conclusion: To see Gods purpose lived out in the life of the Savior is the perfect picture of WORTHINESS. The Word of God proved that the Lord is worthy. Jesus lived, died and rose again in absolute surrender to the Fathers will. Christ proved Himself to be everything prophesied about Him. The Lion brings justice and vengeance and the Lamb brings redemption. Perfect King, perfect Redeemer, perfect sacrifice, WORTHY Savior. Won’t you surrender to His will today. Won’t you leave your past behind and begin today as a new creation…in Christ.