Sermon Tone Analysis

Textual Idea – John saw the Lamb of God who was slain and found He alone is worthy to take the scroll from God the Father, the One who sat on the throne.

Transition w/ key word – Our text presents 3 scenes of John’s vision that reveal the Lord Jesus Christ as the only one worthy to receive God’s highest commendation.

(Outline from MacAurthur)

1.

The Search for the Worthy One – vs. 1-4

2. The Selection of the Worthy One – vs. 5-7

3. The Song of the Worthy One – vs. 8-14

Introduction – On September 8, 2009 in the Kunar province of Afghanistan, a combined group of Afghan military, Afghan border police, Marine trainers and security forces, were headed into the Gangjal Village for a predawn meeting with village elders to discuss security plans.

At about 0530, the team walked into the valley leading into the village and were caught in a U shaped ambush by approximately 50 Taliban fighters from well fortified and elevated positions, heavily armed with mortars, rocket propelled grenades, high caliber machine guns and small arms.

Two Marines, Staff Sgt.

Juan Rodriguez-Chavez and Corporal Dakota Meyer were on perimeter providing security when the ambush occurred.

They heard the frantic calls for assistance from their team and also learned that air support was not available.

Cpl.

Meyer asked for permission to enter the kill zone and was denied 4 times.

Disobeying direct orders, with Sgt.

Rodriguez-Chavez driving a gun truck, Cpl.

Meyer took the exposed gun position and they made 4 trips into that death trap of a valley in an effort to rescue their team.

They had to switch vehicles 3 times because of gunfire damage or gun malfunctions.

Corporal Meyer was wounded with shrapnel but was undeterred.

He made a 5th trip in alone to recover the bodies of 4 of his fellow Marines.

Over the course of a six-hour fire-fight, without regard for his own personal safety, Meyer entered the kill zone five separate times to evacuate the wounded, provide essential aid, and ultimately saved the lives of 13 U.S. Marines in addition to 23 Afghan soldiers.

Meyer personally killed at least eight Taliban insurgents, while providing cover for his team to fight their way out and escape certain death.

For Corporal Meyer’s heroic actions that day, on September 15th, 2011, President Obama awarded Corporal Meyer the nation’s highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony.

President Obama said during the ceremony: (2 slides)

“Dakota, I know that you've grappled with the grief of that day; that you've said your efforts were somehow a "failure" because your teammates didn't come home.

But as your Commander-in-Chief, and on behalf of everyone here today and all Americans, I want you to know it's quite the opposite.

You did your duty, above and beyond, and you kept the faith with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps that you love.

Because of your honor, 36 men are alive today.

Because of your courage, four fallen American heroes came home, and — in the words of James Layton's mom — they could lay their sons to rest with dignity.

Because of your commitment — in the thick of the fight, hour after hour — a former Marine who read about your story said that you showed how ‘in the most desperate, final hours…our brothers and God will not forsake us.’”

Background – In our continuing study through the Book of Revelation today, the Apostle John, exiled to die alone on the Island of Patmos: “on account of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (1:9); was given the privilege of seeing visions of God and given the assignment to record for God’s people, the church, the things which would happen in the future.

We saw last week John’s vision of the throne room of Heaven; we learned how God will rescue His church with the rapture and according to 3:10 “keep us from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world.”

Transition – Our country’s highest award for heroism and valor for a soldier engaged in a fight against the enemy is the Congressional Medal of Honor and there are few men and women whose actions made them worthy to receive it.

In John’s vision into the throne room of Almighty God, John was given a glimpse of Heaven’s “Medal of Honor Ceremony” in honor of the only one worthy to receive Heaven’s highest commendation, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Read Rev. 5:1-14

Our text presents 3 scenes of John’s vision that reveal the Lord Jesus Christ as the only one worthy to receive God’s highest commendation.

Notice first of all scene 1:

1.

The search for the worthy one – vs. 1-4

Explanation – In chapter 5, John’s vision in the throne room of Heaven continues and as John continues to look, vs. 1 says he saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with 7 seals.

This was before books as we know them were printed so this would have been a parchment of long papyrus or animal skin, rolled on both ends into the middle.

These documents were important in the transaction of business in the Roman Empire and also in the Hebrew culture.

The document would be written by section and then folded, with witnesses sealing each fold with wax and imprinting their symbol, usually from a ring imprinted into the wax.

The more seals, the more witnesses, showed the importance of the document.

These were used as wills, deeds or contracts.

The important information would be on the inside of the document and when completed and sealed, there would be an inscription on the outside of what the document was.

John saw a scroll sealed with 7 seals, obviously an important document.

Since the opening of the seals enacts the judgments of God on earth to usher in Christ’s rule as King of the earth, it is best to view this scroll as containing the title deed to the universe in the right hand of God the Father.

Vs. 2 The search for one worthy to open the scroll is on via an unnamed angel with a strong and loud voice.

(Show slide)

Yet vs. 3 shares some startling information as the search is conducted throughout the universe – in Heaven (angelic), on the earth (human) and even under the earth (demonic) – in other words, the angel scoured the universe searching for one worthy to take the scroll and no angel, human or demon was found who was worthy to open the scroll.

Vs. 4 – What John saw caused an outpouring of emotion (he wept much) because no one was found worthy.

In the midst of this jubilant scene in Heaven that John has witnessed so far, this is unexpected!

John – a human has been exiled on the Island of Patmos and left to die, finds himself a witness to what is going on in the throne room of Heaven, the anticipation is building, there will be justice from God & when poor John sees the angelic search of the universe proved fruitless – He begins to weep at the prospects that evil has won.

John is an old man at this point and I believe what we see in vs. 4, is roughly 95 years of John’s life and struggle in a world fraught with evil and difficulty, come pouring out of the aged Apostle John.

Could it possibly be true?

This is how it ends with no one found worthy to open the scroll?

And the tears flow: Those pent up tears that burst uncontrollably out of the Apostle John in anguish are important in the big picture of Revelation as it is the grand climax of God’s plan through the ages that is revealed.

See what Scripture says in Rom.8:20-23.

The anguish of John is a shared anguish of all of Creation.

W.A. Criswell wonderfully explains the tears flowing from John this way:

John’s tears represent the tears of all God’s people through all the centuries.

Those tears of the Apostle John are the tears of Adam and Eve, driven out of the Garden of Eden, as they bowed over the first grave, as they watered the dust of the ground with their tears over the silent, still form of their son, Abel.

Those are the tears of the children of Israel in bondage as they cried unto God in their affliction and slavery.

They are the tears of God’s elect through the centuries as they cried unto heaven.

They are the sobs and tears that have been wrung from the heart and soul of God’s people as they looked on their silent dead, as they stand beside their open graves, as they experience in the trials and sufferings of life, heartaches and disappointments indescribable.

Such is the curse that sin has laid upon God’s beautiful creation; and this is the damnation of the hand of him who holds it, that usurper, that interloper, that intruder, that alien, that stranger, that dragon, that serpent, that Satan-devil.

“And I wept audibly,” for the failure to find a Redeemer meant that this earth in its curse is consigned forever to death.

It meant that death, sin, damnation and hell should reign forever and ever and the sovereignty of God’s earth should remain forever in the hands of Satan.”

Oh dear friends, the story doesn’t end there: Notice the 2nd scene unfolding in the throne room of Heaven:

2. The Selection of the Worthy One – vs. 5-7

Explanation – One of the elders comes to John and tells him to stop weeping, his tears are inappropriate.

He points to a new person arriving on the scene – The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David has prevailed to open the scroll and loose its seven seals.

These titles are two of the Messianic titles used in the OT to encourage God’s people that the Messiah, the Christ would come.

The Lion of Judah is a reference from Jacob/Israel’s blessing upon his son Judah before Jacob died in Gen. 49:8-10.

The expectation of Israel was that out of the lion-like tribe of Judah, a fierce and deadly ruler would come to deliver the people of God from their enemies.

The Jews in Jesus day expected this from the Messiah to deliver them from the heavy oppression of the Romans – when Jesus failed to meet these expectations that is partly the reason they rejected and killed Jesus.

Sadly, the Jews completely misjudged their Messiah.

Jesus is a lion and He will tear apart His enemies but on God’s timetable, not theirs.

The beginning of God’s plan to destroy His enemies and the enemies of the people of God starts to be revealed in Rev. 5 with the Apokolypsis Jesu Christo – the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

“The Root of Davd” - That messianic title derives from Isaiah 11:1 & 10: “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

… Then it will come about in that day that 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.”

Vs. 6 – John looks through his tears of grief to see “A Lamb as though it had been slain”.

No doubt as John beheld the Lamb of God, his slain Savior, no longer dead but risen in glory in the throne room of heaven those tears of grief gave way to tears of joy!

I’m sure instantly flashing through John’s mind was the declaration he had recorded in his Gospel (John 1:29) out of the mouth of John the Baptist, the last of the OT Prophets: “Behold!

The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World!”

Arnion (Lamb), the diminutive form of arnos, refers to a little lamb, or a pet lamb.

The imagery derives from the Passover, when Jewish families were required to keep the sacrificial lamb as a household pet for four days before sacrificing it (Ex.

12:3–6).

While every lamb sacrificed under the Old Covenant pointed toward Christ, He is only referred to as a lamb once in the Old Testament (Isa.

53:7).

In the New Testament outside of Revelation, He is only called a lamb four times (John 1:29, 36; Acts 8:32; 1 Pet.

1:19).

(Slide bullet) But in Revelation He appears as the Lamb of God thirty-one times.

Several features indicate that this was no ordinary lamb.

First, He was standing, alive, on His feet, yet looking as if He had been slain.

The scars from the deadly wound this Lamb received were clearly visible; yet He was alive.

Though demons and wicked men conspired against Him and killed Him, He rose from the dead, thus defeating and triumphing over His enemies.

The death of the Lamb of God is the only atonement for sin God the Father will accept.

The issue is not whether your religion satisfies you, but whether it satisfies God!

It is only the blood atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God who was slain, that pays the sinners debt in full, satisfies God’s just demands and can set the sinner free!

Illustrate – Abraham taking Isaac to be the sacrifice from Gen.22:8 – “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering.”

He did for Abraham and He did for us!

Truly He is the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.

Jesus is worthy and is God’s selection to take the scroll vs. 7.