Who is Worthy?

(Clip #1: Who is worthy to lift Thor’s hammer; 0:50 min) In the cinematic Marvel Universe, the superhero/god Thor possesses a special weapon…the hammer (aka MJOLNIR) which may only be picked up by a person who is worthy. Whoever is able to lift the hammer also rules Asgard, his home world.

In this scene from Avengers 2, the team members take turns trying to pick up the hammer. All to their demise. Captain America gets close, and even makes Thor flinch…but none is found worthy. Later in the movie, a new superhero is created known as Vision. And what happens next is quite shocking to the group. Well, take a look (Clip #2: Vision lifts Thor’s hammer; 0:33 min).

“Who is worthy” is an interesting question. Dads often ask it of the boys their daughters choose to date. Dads, can we all agree there’s no one worthy enough to date your daughter!? Sports enthusiasts ask it weekly as to who is the top team in the land. As March Madness is almost upon us, all serious sports enthusiasts will ponder as to who is worthy for the top 4 #1 seeds in the big dance. By the way, any Tar heel fans in the house?

This year, 2016, is the year of the US Presidential election. Can I just say I wish it was the day after the election already?! But from now through Tuesday, November 8, political analysts and much of the world will ponder the question “Who is worthy” to sit in the Oval Office? It’s an important question.

But this morning, I want to pose a different question. Not one of dating, basketball games, or oval offices. I want to ask the question of “Who is worthy” to both rule the world…and reign in your life? Take your Bible and turn with me to (TEXT).

In Revelation, John writes a very unique book of our Bible. And he is writing to people in a very similar situation as we are today. The first readers of the Revelation lived in a world that was opposed to Christianity. Indeed, John had been exiled to his version of Alcatraz, known as Patmos, for his faith in Jesus Christ. At least one person has already been martyred for the faith. The church was under persecution…and even more loomed on the horizon. The year is approximately 95-96 AD, and Domitian sits on the imperial throne of Rome. The earthly throne was ruled by one who was NOT worthy.

And I imagine those early believers wondered, “Who is worthy” to redeem us? When will Jesus return and turn this world back right again. When will the end come? And when it comes, what will happen? These questions and many more are answered in Revelation.

Stand with me, in honor of the reading of God’s Word, as I read...

Revelation 5:1–14 NASB95

1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one 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 book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

revolves around a central object, a book or scroll. We read the word some 8 times in our passage, and it serves as an important item to first see. follows the beautiful throne chapter of . There John has entered through an open door into heaven. Summoned by a voice like a trumpet, John finds himself “in the Spirit” (v. 2) and before him is a throne. The throne appears no less than 11 times in those 14 chapters, obviously a central figure. But more important than the throne is the One who sits upon the throne. All of the colors, splendor, and worship reveals that it is none else than God Himself upon that throne. And that’s why in verse 8 the four living creatures respond singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come” (). Then following these four living creatures, the 24 elders fall down casting their crowns before the throne saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created” ().

But more important than the throne is the One who sits upon the throne. All of the colors, splendor, and worship reveals that it is none else than God Himself upon that throne. And that’s why in verse 8 the four living creatures respond singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come” (). Then following these four living creatures, the 24 elders fall down casting their crowns before the throne saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created” ().

This, then, is the backdrop to our text this morning. A celestial throne room. The presence of God. Four living creatures, 24 elders, all singing praise unto God. And there John stood breathlessly taking it all in. I imagine he might have leaned over against a wall or a railing to hold himself up in the presence of such a sight. Had it been me, I would had to pick my proverbial chin off the floor. Can you imagine the sights? The sounds? Can you imagine standing in the presence of God?!

But then the scene quickly changes. As John is watching this scene unfold, not even blinking, he notices the book. Our text uses the word “book,” but it was really more of a scroll. The codex, or book, as we know was not likely the image, though that it is the word here βιβλίον from which we get our word Bible and bibliography. But notice this book.

First, notice the location of the scroll. The book is found on/in the palm of God’s hand. Now you have to remember that John is using the best language he can to describe the splendor of what he is seeing. But here he sees in the right hand of Him who sits on the throne, that is God, a scroll. Different Bible translations translate the little word “in” or “on” differently. It seems best to understand it as “on,” that is, the book is laying on the hand. It’s not like God is holding it tight fist saying, “Who can get this out of my hand.” No, it seems right that he is extending the scroll out in search, yes a search for who can open it.

Second, notice the filledness of the scroll. Verse 1 says the book is written inside and on the back. In that day, scrolls were made out of one of two materials. One was papyrus which was made by cutting strips of pith from inside the stalks of the plant, laying the strips in two layers at right angles, then pounding them together and allowing them to dry. They would then write on the horizontal side, but most often they would not write on the vertical side…the back. The other material was vellum, an animal skin. It seems most likely that the scroll here was made of papyrus. That the scroll was written, as it were, “inside and on the back” was a sign that it was quite full and indeed complete.

Third, notice the sealedness of the scroll. It is sealed with 7 seals. Seals were used to lock-up a scroll, much like today. If I write a letter of recommendation, then the receiving party wants me to seal that recommendation so they know it is authentic. This is much the same here. And that there were 7 seals may be a sign of its completeness, its complete sealed, or its being sealed by 7 witnesses as was a custom in that day.

All this for a scroll, a book. But this was no ordinary book. We’re not altogether sure what the contents of the book were, but we have good reason to speculate it was important. Some have suggested it was the OT, perhaps even the Torah. Some suggest it was the Lamb’s Book of Life. Some suggest it was a Last Will and Testament, or a Divorce Bill, or even a Contract Deed. Others have said it was a book containing the future tribulation, or perhaps a book containing God’s plan of judgment and redemption.

Honestly, we’re not sure what is in the book…but I speculate it has something to do with God’s plan of judgment and redemption as He unfolds the final plans of his creation.

Reason #1: Because of our sin, no one is worthy to redeem this world (vv. 1-4)

Explanation: As John looks upon this majestic scene, he hears the sound of what he calls a “strong angel” proclaiming with a loud voice. Now we’ve not gotten to the end of the story, but at the end you will hear all the singing and celebrating, so you’ve got to understand this angel must have had a really booming voice to speak over the crowd. But hear his question: “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” There it is, the question of the ages…who is worthy?

I don’t know how much time lapses between the end of verse 2 and the beginning of verse 3, but I can imagine the room fell quiet enough to hear a pin drop. “Who is worthy to open the book?” “Anyone worthy?” “Is there anyone out there who is willing?”

Personally, I love the scene in the Avengers’ movie…as they all get up and give it a shot. Hawkeye says it’s a trick or something. Tony Stark gives it a go. Then he gets part of his Iron Man armor and boosters, but nothing. War Machine joins in. Bruce Banner gives it a go. Captain America even steps up. But I imagine that no one moved when the angel proclaimed. No one blinked. No one made a peep.

And then as the reality of the search for the worthy one fails, verse 3 tells us the result: “And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or look into it.” No one! Not a soul! And the reality hit hard as John realized that whatever was in that book was not going to happen. Perhaps it was the future redemption of the world. And if no one could open it, it would never happen. Perhaps it was the Lamb’s Book of Life, and all those names were for naught if no one could open it. Perhaps it was God’s final restoration blue print…but it was all for naught if no one could open the book…if no one was found to be worthy!

And so John wept greatly (v. 4) because no one was found worthy. The word wept is the word “wail.” In other words, he wasn’t tearing up…he was wailing!!! Why? Because John realized that due to the universe’s lack of worthy ones, the contents of the scroll would never be realized!

Illustration: There was an old retired army soldier who had the helmet he had worn in battle during WW2. It sat on a shelf above his recliner where he sat each day. That helmet was a reminder to him of the war, his buddies, his wounds, and lives that were lost. His 5-year old grandson would come over and sit there in the living room floor. He’d look up to his granddaddy and say, “Granddaddy, let me wear that helmet. Let me just put it on.” Granddad said, “Son if you can beat me in arm wrestling, I’ll let you put it on.” Five-year-old boy; strong man. Sat at the table. Boy put his hand in his grandpa’s, and boom, his hand went straight down…grandpa won. The little boy challenged him again at 10…15…17…20…25. That boy never could beat his granddad in arm wrestling.

One day, his granddaddy died. They were coming to clean out the house. Now, the grandson, now about 35, saw that old helmet. He looked at it. Took it down off the shelf. He was just about to put it on. He’d wanted to wear it all those years. And he thought, “No! I can’t do it. I’m not worthy!”

Argumentation: All of heaven. All those on earth. All those under the earth. “Who is worthy?” No one was worthy. What about Abraham, father of faith? “Oh no, I’m not worthy.” What about Jacob, the father of the nation of Israel. “No, I’m not worthy.” Moses, the great prophet and giver of the law, the one who saw God face to face? “Oh no, I’ve seen him, I know I’m not worthy.” Joshua, the mighty conqueror who took the land of Canaan? David, the sweet singer of Israel, the man after God’s own heart. “No!” What about Solomon, the wisest and wealthiest man of his day? Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or Daniel. “I’m not worthy.”

Well, what about Peter who said you are the Christ the Son of the Living God? What about Paul the great missionary, the theologian who wrote more than half of the NT? He said, “No, I’m not worthy!” Every great man in the Bible stood up said I’m not worthy.

Move out into Christian history? Augustine? Martin Luther? John Calvin? Great missionary Adnoriam Judson? Martyr Jim Elliott? Preacher Martin Luther King, Jr? Evangelist Billy Graham? “No, I’m not worthy!” Nobody in heaven, on earth, or under the earth…nobody was worthy to take that scroll and open its seals.

Important: Man, on his own, cannot solve man’s greatest problem! We can never make ourselves right with God. We can never be worthy!!!

Because of our sin, no one is worthy to redeem this world.

Reason #2: Because of His sacrificial death, Jesus is worthy to reclaim a lost world (vv. 5-7)

Explanation: As John was weeping over this reality, verse 5 tells us that an elder told him to “Stop Weeping.” Stop it John! It’s not as bad as you think. And then he said, “Behold…” In other words, “Look!” And the elder pointed out towards the throne. Look John. The search for the worthy one is not incomplete. The search is resolved. Look, there…in the midst of the throne of God…did you see it?

The elder identifies the Lord Jesus Christ with 2 descriptions. First, he calls him the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” The lion was the ruler of the jungle, the king of the beasts. Jesus is identified as the lion of the tribe of Judah. Judah was the ruling tribe of Israel. Chosen by God to be his representative people. In fact, the Bible had prophesied that out of Judah would come a lion. Turn quickly with me to . The text reads, “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

This is a prophecy foretelling the coming of the Messiah from the family of Judah. One who will be a king (scepter).

But the elder also refers to Jesus as the Root of David. This too is a fulfillment of prophecy, this time from : “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. . . . Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.” Here, the prophecy is about the Messiah being born from the lineage of David. We know from the Christmas story genealogies in both and that Jesus is a descendant of David. Jesus has come to fulfill the promises of God to Israel.

Then notice the elder’s statement: “He has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals” (). That is, this one who is the Lion and the Root, he has overcome…he has prevailed. It is the word nikao (νικάω) from which we get our word Nike. It means victory. Indeed, complete victory. And what’s interesting is that the verb tense of the word here may suggest a victory that is once and for all. In other words, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, Jesus has overcome…he has the victory. Somebody say, “Hallelujah!”

But then one of the greatest ironies in Scripture occurs in verse 6. The elder tells John to look at the lion. But when John looks, he sees a “Lamb.” There in the middle of the throne of God is a lamb. Several things to note here about the Lamb.

First, note his location: in the midst. It’s not outside the throne. It is right there in the midst of the throne. This lamb is the center of attention. There in the middle of the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. There where God is…is a lamb.

Note next that it is standing, as if slain. The lamb has all the appearances of having been slaughtered to death, and yet it is up walking. What a picture of the Lord Jesus and his resurrection. There in heaven, forever, we will see the scars of our Savior in living color.

But it goes on, the lamb has 7 horns. Horns are used throughout the Bible and the ancient world as signs of power. The horns represent power. The number 7 represents completeness. Complete power. All power. Omnipotent. Then there are the 7 eyes. Eyes were associated with wisdom, knowledge…the all-seeing eye. Eyes equal knowledge. Seven equals completeness. Complete knowledge. All knowledge. Omniscience. These eyes are the “seven Spirits of God.” Again, not seven as in seven different ones…but the full and complete Spirit of God. What a perfect scene of the holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit. Jesus, the Lamb, is on the throne…omnipotent… omniscient…and filled with the holy Spirit of God. In other words, this Lamb is God!

Finally, notice what the Lamb so boldly does. He comes to the throne of God. Reaches out and grabs the scroll from the outreached hand of God. Verse 7 says, “He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.” No one waltzes into the presence of God. No one snatches something out of the hand of a Regent. No one except the Worthy One, Jesus.

Finally, notice what the Lamb so boldly does. He comes to the throne of God. Reaches out and grabs the scroll from the outreached hand of God. says, “He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.” No one waltzes into the presence of God. No one snatches something out of the hand of a Regent. No one except the Worthy One, Jesus.

Illustration: Remember going to Chuck E Cheese? Place at the beach? Recently we had Adam’s birthday party at the Putt-Putt Center. It was awesome. We had unlimited ride tickets. So the kids played Laser Tag over and over…and dad joined in too. We rode the bumper car things. They even went out in the rain and rode the water bumper boats and got soaked.

But inside the building is the arcade. You know the ones, where you play skee-ball and after you’ve scored your points and your 8 balls are gone…the game gives you some tickets. Now the tickets just go on a credit card! Much easier to keep up with and no counting!!! And so we’d walk around and keep feeding tokens and keep winning tickets.

And then it would be about time to leave and we’d walk up to the store to redeem our hard day’s work of tickets for a prize. And up across the ceiling are these awesome prizes like Giant Stuffed Animals, Wii Video Games, and the like…for like a million tickets. And then just below the unreachables were still large bears, basketballs, etc…and the price was like 5,000 tickets. Still lower would be smaller bears, smaller balls, and gadgets for 300 tickets.

But we only had 30 tickets! You know what you can buy with 30 tickets…all that hard work…some plastic. You can buy a small plastic toy that you don’t even know what it is, maybe an Army toy, or a bouncy ball, or a some stickers. All because you didn’t have enough tickets.

Can I tell you something this morning? Jesus has all the tickets in the universe. He can reclaim the greatest prize because He paid the greatest price! When it comes to redeeming creation from satanic attack and demise? Jesus says, “I have enough tickets for that!” When it comes to redeeming your soul, He says, “I have enough tickets!” Sin, death, and hell? Sickness? Trouble? Discord? Jesus has all the tickets for that too! At the cross, He defeated sin, death, and the forces of hell. And here the elder says, “Don’t weep John…Jesus has prevailed!”

You see, because of His sacrificial death, Jesus is worthy to reclaim a lost world.

Reason #3: Because of His worthiness, Jesus deserves our eternal worship (vv. 8-14)

Suddenly as all of heaven recognizes the Lamb in the midst, who had really been there all along, they burst into song. says, “When he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb.” Notice this! They fall down before the Lamb. In the Revelation, no one bows to anyone except God. Angels don’t allow it. Man doesn’t deserve it. Only God is worthy of such praise. But each one falls before the Lamb holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Worship is commencing!

And then celestial worship ensues. Verse 9 says they sang out a “new song.” There had been nothing like this before in all of heaven or on earth. It was a new thing and it deserved a new song. The phrase “new song” is used no less than 6 times in the Psalms alone and refers to a time of praise for God’s victory over the enemy.

Jesus’ death on the cross provided such a victory, thus a proper response was a new song. “Worthy are you to take the book and open its seals.” Then notice the statement: “For you were slain…and purchased for God with your blook men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” Jesus’ act at Calvary purchased mankind’s redemption. He is worthy because He died! The picture is of a POW being set free. Jesus has set us free from the slavery of sin to become His own. This first song is a song of His salvific work. Verse 10 shows the results: You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God. And they will reign upon the earth. Instead of Satan ruling this world, mankind will rule as heirs and co-heirs with Jesus.

But the worship continues. Verse 11, I looked and I heard the voice of 10,000s and 10,000s of angels. The angels join the living creatures and the elders in a great crescendo of praise saying with a loud voice… “Worthy is the LAMB that was slain.” But this second song is a bit different. Here we see what the Lamb receives because of His worth. Seven items are listed. Seven, perhaps, again signifying completeness or perfection. The first four he gets on his own: power, riches, wisdom, and might. But the last three he receives from us: honor, glory, and blessing!

And yet it’s not over yet…verse 13, every created thing which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things in them…ie, “every thing!”…they respond and say, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.” Did you get that? Who is on the throne? God! Who is the Lamb? The Lord Jesus Christ. Praise is given to both here…once again a show of John’s belief that Jesus is divine, He is God in the flesh! Notice the things that are given are given to God alone: blessing, honor, glory, and dominion…forever and ever!

Finally, the four living creatures say over and over and over, “Amen!” And the elders fall down and worship…the Lamb.

Illustration: All of this worship is extended towards the throne because of this Lamb. The Lamb is worthy. Our only righteousness is from His worthiness. The word righteousness is made up of two characters in the Chinese language. The first is the character for lamb, the other for me. But when you put the lamb on top of me, it makes a new character, the word “righteousness.” Between a holy God and an unholy sinner like me, there is the “lamb.” And it is because of His worthiness that Jesus deserves our eternal worship.

Application: Therefore, the only proper response to Jesus is to worship Him.

Conclusion

If in the next few moments, the doors of this auditorium opened and in walked the Governor of our great state…regardless if you agreed with his views on politics, but because of the office, it would be appropriate for us to stand and honor him so. And if before our time was over, in walked the President of the US, whether you agree with him or not, because of the dignity the office deserves and the respect for the nation, it would be appropriate to stand and even applaud.

But if in the next few minutes, suddenly standing before us was the Incarnate Jesus Christ, to stand would be inadequate…to applaud would be arrogant. The only rightful response because of who He is and what he has done would be to fall down…for truly the lamb is worthy!

Invitation

You’re not worthy. I’m not worthy. Only Jesus is worthy.

Would you stand with me as the band comes to lead us in worship? Let us spend a few minutes in authentic worship unto Jesus the Worthy One!!! Thank you for the cross Lord. Thank you for the price you paid, bearing all my sin and shame…in love You came and gave amazing grace. Worthy is the Lamb…seated on the throne! Sing it with us this morning…

Worthy is the Lamb! (Darlene Zschech, Hillsong United) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvwdn4WStcQ

Thank you for the cross Lord / Thank you for the price You paid

Thank you for the price You paid

Bearing all my sin and shame / In love You came and gave amazing grace

In love You came and gave amazing grace

Thank you for this love Lord / Thank you for the nail pierced hands

Washed me in Your cleansing flow / Now all I know Your forgiveness and embrace

Worthy is the Lamb Seated on the throne Crown You now with many crowns You reign victorious

High and lifted up Jesus, Son of God The Darling of Heaven crucified Worthy is the Lamb Worthy is the Lamb

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