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PLACE:
Lurgan Baptist 13:4:2003
Reading:
Revelation 5:1-14
3. CONSIDER HIM
THE UNRIVALLED CHRIST
Have you ever wanted to ask Abraham, Was it worth it to leave Ur of the
Chaldees wander around Canaan, live in a tent, and in the end have nothing more
to show for it than basically one son, the cave of Machpelah, and the still
unfulfilled promises of God ? Have you ever wanted to ask Moses, Was it worth it to give up the pleasures
and treasures of Egypt to lead a million or more former slaves through the
wilderness for forty years and never get into the promised land yourself ?
Have you ever wanted to ask Daniel, Was
it worth it to pray three times a day and wind up in the lions
den
? Have you ever wanted to ask Isaiah, Was it worth it to volunteer service for
God when as a result of that service you were sawn in two ? Have you ever wanted to ask John the
Baptist, Was it worth it to speak the
truth to Herods face and lose your head ? Have you ever wanted to ask
Peter, Was it worth it to open the door
for the gospel to the Gentiles, only to be crucified upside down ? Have
you ever wanted to ask John, Was it
worth it to preach the gospel and plant churches all over the known world, and
in the end wind up in exile on Patmos ? Have you ever asked yourself, Is it worth it to live a life of faith in
the Lord when no one else is ? Is it worth to me ? Is it worth it to get
out on Sunday morning, get out and meet with the Lord when you were out late on
Saturday night ? Is it worth every morning to get up thirty minutes earlier in
order to pray and read the Scriptures when you really want to sleep to the last
minute ? Is it worth it to share the gospel with your friend, and as a result
lose his friendship ? Is it worth to tell the truth when lying would get you a
promotion or a salary increase ? My
. is it worth it to live a godly life in
obedience to Gods Word ? Is it worth it ? My personal answer to all of these
questions is a resounding, yes, Yes !
Yes ! It is worth it. Living a godly life is worth whatever it costs. Do you
know why ? Because HE is worth it ! You
see, this vision of His Glory in ( Ch 5 ) describes the worth - it-ness, or the worthiness of the Lord Jesus and gives
tremendous hope to those who are discouraged, disillusioned and disheartened !
Now in the previous chapter, John was caught up into
heaven where he saw the Throne of God and the Court of Heaven. In ( Ch 5 ) the
scene is still in heaven, but the theme changes. In ( Ch 4 ) the song in heaven
is all about Creation, while in ( Ch 5 ) the song in heaven is all about
Redemption. Up to this point there has been no sign of the Lamb, but now He
becomes the centre of everything. Our Lord steps into the spotlight and fills
the stage of the universe, drawing every eye and prompting endless applause.
Indeed there is brought before us here
THE UNRIVALLED CHRIST. There are three pictures that I want you to notice.
Picture number one is that of:
(1) UNQUALIFIED HUMANITY
A challenge is thrown out to all humanity: Who of all God's creatures is fit to rule
the world ? Who has the right to the title deed of the earth ? Who is capable
of leading us toward the solutions for our problems ? Who is smart enough ?
Moral enough ? Strong enough ? Who is worthy ? The question lingers in the air
of heaven like an accusation. No one steps forth. Throughout human history
there have been those who considered themselves worthy to " break the seals," to "
open the scroll," to carve out a man made Utopia on earth. But
even the best and most heroic leaders in history have not proven worthy to "
break the seals," to " open the scroll," and to
bring about a world of peace. Who, then of all God's creatures is fit to rule
the world ? Our attention is drawn here to
(a) THE SCROLL:
"
A book," ( 5:1 ) literally it means a scroll. Now this book is
held tightly by God's omnipotent fist indicating its divine source and that
it is God's to give to whomever He pleases. This scroll is written on both
sides .... front and back. Now the ancients hardly ever wrote on both sides of
a scroll. Usually one side was for writing, while the back side was a rough, outer
cover. Writing on both sides symbolised that message was full to overflowing,
detailed, and extremely important. The mere fact that it is written down as
opposed to being spoken indicates that it is unalterable, settled, and
determined by God alone. In ancient times a scroll, like a Roman will was
sealed by placing a single seal on the outer edge. But this scroll has seven
seals one on the outside and six more on the inside. In other words, the scroll
was partially rolled and then sealed, rolled some more and then sealed, rolled
again and then sealed, until the seventh seal sealed the entire scroll. So whats in this scroll ?
I believe this scroll, which some find so mysterious
is
"
the title deed to the earth." This
is the official document that will determine the outcome of human history. In
this book are the final, end-time, cataclysmic judgments of God that will be
poured out upon the earth during the tribulation period. The One who possesses
this book and can break its seals possesses the right to rule the world. ( Jer
32:6-15 ) So this book in the hand of God is a document redeeming the world. It
is a sealed scroll, a legal document, belonging to the one who has paid the
price and therefore has the legal right to open it and reveal what is written
within.
It is the title deed to the earth. ( Lk 21:28 Rom 8:21
) Now the very context in ( Rev 5 ) proves this. In ( 5:2 ) the call goes forth
for an applicant to come and take the scroll. John wept because no man was found worthy to do so. The
sphere of man is evidently in view.
Then again, when the seals on the scroll are eventually broken, disasters
overtake the earth. We read ( 6:2 ) "
And he went forth conquering and to conquer." Where did he go forth to conquer ? The
earth. ( 6:5 7-8 12-15 ) This book has something to do with the judgments of
God that are yet to come on the earth.
( Ezek 2:9-10 Dan 12:1-4)
My
. this
world is spinning through space, headed toward a final, cataclysmic judgment.
Have we forgotten that the wrath of God is presently boiling over and one day
will be unleashed on this ungodly world ! In the end, Heaven will prove to be
triumphant over the earth. This Judgment during the Tribulation is written by
God in His sacred scroll, already divinely ordained and predestined to occur.
And the right to rule the earth is now to be decided at the Throne of God once
and for all. You see, our attention is drawn to:
(b) THE SEARCH:
A challenge is thrown out, who has the right to the
title deed to the earth ? Who has paid the price to redeem it and can legally
open those seals ? Who has the right in Gods eyes to rule the world ? We can
think of many people who have been willing. History is littered with fallen
conquerors and their shattered dreams of a man made Utopia. Alexander the
Great, Julius Caesar, Germany's Hitler, who envisioned a world-wide Reich that
would last a thousand years. Iraq's Saddam Hussein. I expect the presidents of the
U.S.A. and the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom would be willing. But that
wasnt the question. The question was,
Who is worthy ? Who is worthy to rule the world ? Who is capable of
solving our problems ? Who is competent to bring human history to its appointed
end ? The answer is a stunning revelation of the failure of the human race. (
5:3 ) " Who is worthy ? No one in Washington has the answers. No one
in Moscow. No one in London, Baghdad, Tel Aviv, or Tokyo can deliver us from
our problems. No one can execute Gods plan for human history. We are hopeless
and helpless to usher in the Golden Age. Our problems are beyond us. No wonder
John wept. His troubled heart was filled with deep distress. Did you notice:
(c) THE SOB:
Why does John
weep ? ( 5:4 )Because he knows that
this world needs redemption. The world needs a leader and the scroll must be
opened and the seals broken for Gods purpose's to be fulfilled. John's tears
represent the weeping of all God's people down through the centuries. These are
our tears longing for God to make a disordered world right. But as the old
apostle stood there with tears streaming down his lined weather beaten face one
of the elders got up and said Weep
not. Then in a voice that must
have pulsated with the anticipation of victory he announced,
behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah the Root of David hath prevailed to open
the book and to loose the seven seals thereof." ( 5:5 )
John, there is one man Who is able !
There is one man in all of the universe Who is worthy in Gods eyes to rule the
world. Only one ! The man Christ Jesus. My
. If the Lord Jesus is able to
rule the world and He is, is He not then able to rule your life and mine ? Why
is it that we settle for an unworthy
lord ? We allow ourselves to be ruled by our emotions,
or the opinions of others, or our business, our career, our bank account. My
.
if God says Christ is able to fulfil His purpose for the entire human race is
He not able to fulfil Gods purpose for your life ? What is Gods eternal
solution for the world ? Well, turn from the picture of Unqualified Humanity to
the second picture here.
(2) UNDISPUTED SUPREMACY
John is told not to cry, there is good news. Someone
has been found who can open that scroll and read it. Someone is worthy and has
paid the price to redeem the world. You see, the only solution that exists to
the human dilemma is our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice, that Johns attention is
drawn to:
(a) THE PERSON OF OUR LORD:
" Behold the lion .... " ( 5:5 )This is the MAJESTY of the Lord Jesus: Like a
lion .... Ferocious, courageous, fearless, kingly, mighty. majestic. This Lion
of Judah is Jesus Christ. For He alone is able to break the seals, open the
scroll and execute its events. " Of the tribe of Judah, This is the ROYALTY of the Lord Jesus:
the tribe of Judah was the tribe of David from which the kingly line proceeded.
( Gen 49:9-10 ) It was to this tribe that the promise was given of a Son whose
throne and kingdom would endure forever.
( 2 Sam 7:13-16 ) " The root of David .... "
This is the ETERNALITY of the Lord Jesus: For He who came after David as
the offspring of David was also before David as the root.
( 22:16 ) This points to Christ's eternal
pre-existence.
" Hath prevailed .... " This is THE
VICTORY OF THE LORD JESUS: For this regal Lion .... eternal, divine,
yet completely human won the victory at Calvary in order to open this scroll.
(b) THE POSITION OF OUR LORD:
How could John have ever missed Him ? There He was, in
the midst all the time. ( 5:6 ) Perhaps John had been so taken up with he
sights and sounds of glory, so occupied with the eternal throne, the emerald
rainbow and so on, that he had completely missed the Lamb ! Yet the Lamb was in
the midst of it all. ( Matt 18:20 ) My
. do we not the same ? We come and go
to meetings, listen to the most stirring messages, read the most profound
passages from Gods Word, sing the most sublime hymns and yet we miss the Lord
in the midst.
(c) THE PASSION OF OUR LORD:
He turns to see a LION, but instead he sees a
LAMB. John must have wondered, " This is the solution to the world's
problems ? A lowly lamb ? A weak, submissive lamb." Precisely. The answer to mans problems is
the Lamb of God .... Jesus Christ. The Lion-Lamb. The Sovereign Saviour. What a
combination of meekness and majesty. Now there are two very interesting words
here. The first is " Lamb." In Greek there are two words for Lamb. One
describes a lamb in general.
( amnos ) The other means a pet lamb. ( arnion ) Satan
is described as a dragon ( 12:9 ) with his hordes of mighty demons supporting
him, but God is so powerful that all he requires to defeat Satan is a little
pet lamb.
The second interesting word here is "
slain."
( sphazo)" It means to cut up and mutilate an
animal sacrifice. It describes the gory crucifixion of our Lord Jesus. Thorns
pierced His skull. A whip lacerated His back. Fists bruised His face. Nails
gouged His hands. A spear tore His side. Blood and water came gushing
out." And now in Heaven
the marks of our Lord's death are still there, imprinted in His resurrected
body for all eternity. A Sunday School teacher who taught young boys one asked
her class, Is there anything manmade in
heaven ? To her surprise one of the boys spoke up and said, Yes Maam there is. What could there
possibly be in heaven that is manmade ? she asked. The nail prints in the Saviours hands. My
. what Thomas saw in the Upper Room, what John looked
upon in Heaven, we too shall see in glory for Heaven can never forget the
sufferings of the Cross. I shall know
Him, I shall know Him, by the print of the nails in His hand. But John
discovers even something more strange. For this Lamb, who was violently
slaughtered and put to death, is actually Standing. Having being killed, He is
now alive Again.
(d) THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR LORD:
Christ died with all the vestures of defeat. A cross.
A crown of thorns. A jeering mob. A black sky. An agonising cry. But then came
Sunday morning and with it the glorious report, " He is not here, but
is
RISEN." ( Lk 24:6 ) " The head that once was crowned with
crowns is crowned with glory now." John sees something
else. " A Lamb having seven horns."
( 5:6 ) Thats:
(e) THE POWER OF OUR LORD:
In the Bible, an animals horns speak of its power to
ram, butt, gore and defeat its enemies and seven is the number of perfection.
Sevens horns means Omnipotence. The Lord Jesus will have no trouble opening the
scroll and executing the seven seal judgments: ( 6:1 - 8:5 ) the seven trumpet
judgments:
( 8:6 - 19:21 ) and the seven vial judgments:
( 16:1 - 19:21 ) for He is the omnipotent God. John
noted something else, " A Lamb having seven eyes."
( 5:6 ) Is that not ?
(f) THE PERCEPTION OF OUR LORD:
Gods Lamb is omniscient. Full of intelligence.
Possessing perfect discernment. He has perfect knowledge of all things past,
present, and future. This is one Lamb who can't have the wool pulled over His
eyes. ( Is: 11:2-4 ) Now look at what happens in this dramatic moment in
Heaven. The Lamb came " and took the book out of the right
hand of Him that sat upon the throne." ( 5:7 ) You see thats:
(g) THE PREROGATIVES OF OUR LORD:
Suppose for a moment the question had been asked
Christ, " What is the basis of Your claim to the title deed of earth
?" His reply could have been threefold. He could have said, "
That world is mine by right of Creation, for I made it, it is mine of by right
of Calvary, for I redeemed it, it is mine by Right of Conquest, for I am going
back to claim that world in war." As Christ steps into the
spotlight His right is instantly owned. Now from the moment the Lamb is put
into the picture, John cannot take his eyes off Him. He mentions Him again and
again in this chapter.
( 5:6,8,12,13) He is the centrepiece of Heaven. "
The Lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel's land."
Undisputed
Supremacy ! Is Christ the centrepiece of your life ? Does
everything in your life revolve around Him ? He created you, He bought you at
Calvary with precious blood, and He is the only one who has the right to rule
your life ! Would you yield the reins of your life to Him ? Will you allow Him
to rule and reign as Undisputed Sovereign in your life ? Will you crown Him
Lord of all ? I said there were three pictures here. Picture number 1: Unqualified
Humanity ! Picture number 2: Undisputed Supremacy ! Picture 3:
(3) UNEQUALLED MELODY
For as the Lamb takes the book, all heaven erupts in
worship. To worship means to ascribe
worth, and Christ alone is worthy. My
. here is worship as it was meant
to be, alive, dynamic, genuine, passionate. Did you notice:
(a) THE SOURCE OF THIS WORSHIP:
For it comes from all directions and includes every
creature. What we have in here are expanding circles of His worshippers. Notice
first the Lord Jesus is immediately worshipped by those around the throne. The
four beasts and the twenty four elders representative of the church. ( 5:8-10 )
Then Christ is worshipped throughout all Heaven. ( 5:11-12 ) Finally, He
is worshipped throughout All the universe.
( 5:13-14 ) The creatures at the throne worship Him.
The countless angel throng worship Him. The whole universe worship Him. ( Phil
2:9-11 ) Because He is Worthy to be Worshipped ! Did you notice this worship
was JOYFUL ? The elders each
had a harp. When Israel came under the judgement of God and was carried off
into captivity, she hung up her harp. ( Ps 137:1 ) She had no song. She was
living outside the will of God and she had lost her joy. When did you hang up
your harp ?
My
. When you resist Gods will for your life and
insist on your own way, you can lose your joy. Did you notice this worship was HOPEFUL ? They sung a new song,
it was about Christs rightful claim to rule the world because He alone is
worthy. Did you notice this worship was THANKFUL
? For memories of Calvary are precious in heaven. Indeed,
(b) THE SUBJECT OF THIS WORSHIP:
Is Christ ! In ( 5:9 ) the elders Sing: in ( 5:12 ) the
angels Say, but their theme is similar. " Worthy is the Lamb." ( 5:12 ) Isaac once asked: "
Where is the Lamb ?" ( Gen 22:7 ) John the Baptist then answered: "
Behold the Lamb." ( Jn 1:29 ) All creation now says, "
Worthy is the Lamb." ( 5:12 ) There are some denominations who
have gone through their hymnals and taken out all the songs about the blood of
Christ. But the reason He is worthy is because of Calvary. In
( Ch 4 ) the theme was, " Thou art worthy for Thou
hast created." ( 4:11 ) But now the worship is lifted an octave
higher. " Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof:
for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God, by Thy blood out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people and nation and hast made us unto our God kings
and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." ( 5:9-10 )
Sir Robert Anderson says: " Eternity in the PAST knew no other future than Calvary's Cross:
eternity in the future will know no other PAST than Calvary's Cross."
In that bright scene of splendour, far beyond the skies, they worship Him. They
worship Him as the Lamb that was slain. Its Calvary that fills their vision and
prompts their worship. Over yonder at this moment they are doing what we do
when we worship Him when we spread the Table and remember Him. Christ is the
centrepiece of Heaven. All heaven revolves around Him. Over yonder at this very
moment they are worshipping Him now. They are crying,
" Worthy is the Lamb. And what a day it will be
when the church is taken home and all heaven breaks loose in worship of the
Lamb. Consider Him, The Undaunted Christ, Consider Him, The Unveiled
Christ, Consider Him, The Unrecognised Christ, Consider Him, The
Unrivalled Christ. We exalt Him. We adore Him. We worship Him. We
love Him. We want no other. We desire no other. We will have no other. We will
seek no other. We will love no other.
Worthy is the Lamb.
" Oh, that with yonder sacred throng,
We at His feet may fall,
Join in the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all."