Well, I want you to take your
Bibles and turn with me to the book of Revelation and I will
say, there are no bad sermons from Revelation. So, Revelation
chapter 5, it will be our joy this morning to look together
at Revelation chapter 5, which is one of the great chapters
in all of the Bible. Let us feast today upon the riches
of this text. The title of this message is
Our Sovereign Savior. And I want to begin by reading
a portion of the text that will be our focus in this hour. This is God's inspired inerrant
an infallible Word. When the Bible speaks, God speaks
and so may we hear the Word of the Lord. 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. And I saw a strong angel
proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy? to open the book
and to break its seals. And no one in heaven or on the
earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look
into it. Then I began to weep greatly
because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into
it. And one of the elders said to
me, stop weeping. 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. 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. And He came
and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on
the throne. When He had taken the book, the
four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the
Lamb, each one holding a harp and seven, excuse me, and golden
bowls full of incense. which are the prayers of the
saints. 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." Our sovereign Savior. As we begin this new
year, The days in which you and I are living are dark and dangerous
days. Any review of the national, international
scene clearly reveals this to any thinking person. Terrorist
threats surround us and should have us in alarm as we live under
the constant threat of terrorist attack. The global balance of
power is teetering on the verge of collapse in this very hour.
ISIS is spreading like a deadly plague out of hell. Beheadings
are being displayed visually on the internet for the world
to see. Russia is threatening expansion. North Korea is aiming
its missiles at the west coast of the United States. Iran is
promising the extinction of Israel. Iraq is a breeding ground for
anarchy. Militant Islam is boasting it
will destroy the West. The global economy is teetering
on the brink. Christians are being persecuted.
Atheism is rising. The Ebola virus should have us
all under great concern. The very moral fiber of America
is unraveling like a cheap sweater. Denominations are declining.
Liberalism is rampant. Churches are declining. Many
are closing their doors. And the homosexual agenda has
come out of the closet and is marching down Main Street. These
indeed are desperate days in which you and I are living. And
in light of these dangers lurking on every side, the future seems
so uncertain. In this midst of upheaval of
society and the moral order in which we have once found ourselves,
we ask, is there any hope? Is there any reason for optimism? Is there any cause for real encouragement? This hour is much like the dilemma
the early church faced at the end of the first century. The
Roman Empire was dominant. and threatening to crush Christianity. Emperor worship was mandatory. Christians were being used as
human torches to light the gardens of Caesar. Persecution of believers
was rampant and spreading. And all of the apostles except
John had been martyred and even John was now subject to political
exile on the island of Patmos, out in the middle of the Aegean
Sea. It was in the midst of such a dark hour of history that the
last living apostle, John, was given a guided tour of heaven
and a vision of the sovereignty of God and of the supremacy of
the Lord Jesus Christ, that was exactly what the church needed
to see in her darkest hour. And that is exactly what we need
to be reminded of again yet this morning. As we are surrounded
on every side by a world that is threatening to implode, we
must be reminded that the throne is occupied in heaven. And that
God has a plan and God has never deviated from His plan whatsoever.
There is no plan B. There is no plan C or D or E. God has one eternal plan and
purpose from before the foundation of the world. And He is orchestrating
all of the events that are going on around us. And He is bringing
all of human history to its appointed end. This scene that we shall
see this morning depicts the time of the enthronement of Christ
at the right hand of God the Father. So let us now see our
sovereign Savior in the glory of the government over which
He presides. Heaven is run not by a democracy,
but by a theocracy. It is not by majority rule, it
is by the will of one, and that is God Himself. So as we look
at this passage this morning, let us drink this in. Let us
breathe this in. Let us internalize this. Let
this be a backbone in our faith. Let this be a renewed confidence. in the overriding purposes of
our God as He reigns from heaven. As we look at this chapter, I
want you to note first in verse 1, the scroll. This scene begins
in breathtaking fashion. In verse 1, John records, I saw
in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book. This book becomes the dominant
feature of the first part of this chapter. In fact, this book
is mentioned not only in verse 1, but in verse 2, he was worthy
to open the book. Verse 3, no one was found to
open the book. Verse 4, they began to...John
began to weep because no one was worthy to open the book.
Verse 5, the Lamb has overcome to open the book. Verse 7, and
he came and took the book. Verse 8, and when he had taken
the book. Verse 9, worthy are you to take
the book. Verse after verse after verse
after verse, this is the thread that is running through these
opening verses of Revelation chapter 5. What captures John's
attention at this point is the book. Not streets of gold, not
pearly gates, not who's there, who's not there, but this book
that is in the right hand. of God. John's body is on the
island of Patmos. His spirit has been taken up
into heaven. It's literally an out-of-body
experience. A door has opened in heaven and
John has been allowed through the door on the other side of
the veil, gained entrance into the heavenlies and John saw Him
who sat on the throne. The him refers to God the Father,
that's obvious from the first chapter...chapter 4. and He is
seated on the throne. The throne is occupied. The throne
has not been vacated. The throne is not empty. Even
in this dark and perilous hour at the end of the first century,
this throne has never been more occupied than it is at this moment. And as it is occupied, God is
actively engaged in overseeing the affairs of the world. He
is enthroned. He is actively presiding, ruling
and reigning over all the affairs of creation. And we need not
wait for the second coming of Christ in order for God to begin
to reign. He is reigning right now from
His throne in heaven. And in His hand, in His right
hand, this hand of omnipotence, this hand of supreme authority,
This hand that no one can pry open, this hand that no one can
remove this book from His hand, in His right hand is a book,
literally a scroll because it is in God's right hand. God is
the author of its contents. God is the author of this book. And it is very unique in that
it is written inside and on the back. in ancient days, such official
documents that would record the edicts of Caesars and kings,
they would only be written on the inside and would be sealed
shut with the imperial seal of the throne such that no one could
open it except for Caesar himself. But this book is different because
It is so exhaustive and so comprehensive in what is recorded inside this
book, what God has written, that it cannot be contained on the
inside. It spills over to the outside. It is very detailed. It is very precise. It's not
only the macro, but the micro of what God intends to do. And it is written. which indicates
that it is unalterable. It is written and is fixed. It is settled. It cannot be reversed. It cannot be amended. And no
creature has ever seen into this book. It is a mystery to human
angelic eyes. It is known only to the author
himself, God. Verse 1 says, it is sealed up
with seven seals. In other words, it is a closed
book. It is a concealed mystery. It is inaccessible to any man
or angel. It is impossible for any creature
to open it. It is sealed with seven seals,
meaning it is perfectly sealed up. So what is this book which
is so prevalent in these opening verses? And when Christ will
take this book, all of heaven will explode simply because Christ
takes this book. Some have suggested that it is
the Lamb's book of life. Others have suggested it is the
book of redemption, containing God's eternal purposes of salvation. Others have suggested it is the
title deed to the earth. It is hard to know exactly what
this book is because it is not stated, but what we do know about
this book... is that in chapter 6 when the
book is opened, when the Lamb breaks the first of the seven
seals, it begins the administration of the judgment of God upon the
earth in the final hour of human history. And in chapter 6 verse
3, when He broke the second seal, there comes then the red horse
and the next wave of judgment upon the earth. And then verse
5, verse 7, verse 9, verse 12, end of chapter 8 verse 1, what
is written in this book is the consummation of the age and all
of God's detailed, pre-scripted, pre-recorded sovereign descriptions
of how God will bring this age to a climactic conclusion. God has already pre-written history. God has already predestined and
predetermined and foreordained how the end of this age will
come to pass. Every jot, every detail. every
molecule, every king, every kingdom, every nation, every person, every
eternal destiny, every event, every circumstance, it's all
pre-recorded in this book. In this book is the pre-scripted
end of all things, as well as the means to that end. God is
the God of history. History is His story and God
has already written it and God has already recorded it and it
is in this book. There's no such thing as random
events. There are no accidents. There's
no such thing as the pagan myths of good luck or bad luck. There
is no such thing as good karma or bad karma or any such Vain
imagination. Everything that will come to
pass at the end of the age is written in this book. And it's
not just the end of the age. From before time began, God wrote
His eternal decree that is so comprehensive and so all-absorbing
that everything that comes to pass has already been prescripted
in the eternal decree of God. Ephesians 1 verse 11 says that
He is working all things. Romans 8 verse 28, He's causing
all things to work together for our good. This is the scroll. You and I should take great comfort
this morning in knowing this, that the future is not up for
grabs. that there is not in the future that which is unforeseen
to God, or circumstances beyond His control. God has already
recorded the future and there can be no improvement whatsoever
upon what God Himself as the author of this book has written
and recorded inside this scroll. Nothing needs to be added to
it, nothing needs to be taken from it, and always, all-knowing,
has written the future in this book. Second, the search. In verses 2 and 3, we see the
search. A voice interrupts John's focus
upon this scroll and asks an inescapable question. Now verse 2 says, and I saw a
strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice. We are not told
who the angel is, it's very unimportant. All that is important is the
book and who will take the book. No need to mention the angel,
he is on the periphery of this. But he proclaimed with a loud
voice, loud enough for everyone in heaven to hear this question. Loud enough in heaven for us
to even hear it this morning as it is recorded in pages of
Scripture. It is proclaimed with a loud
voice because it is asked in a very powerful and penetrating
way to break into the thinking of every person who hears it.
It's not mumbled, it's not muttered. It is sounded like a trumpet
and it pierces into our psyche. And here's the question. Who
is worthy to open the book and to break its seals? Who is capable
to take the book and to open the book and to become the executor
of what God the Father has written in the book? Who's qualified? Who is capable? Who is competent? Who can usher in the kingdom
of God upon the earth in grand scale? who is powerful enough
to grab the reins of history and bring it to its God-appointed
end and to fulfill all of God's purposes here upon the earth. And in verse 3, we read the result
of this executive search on a large scale, and no one in heaven or
on the earth or under the earth was able, top to bottom, heaven
to hell, earth in between. No one is able to take this book
and to be its administrator. No elect angel, no glorified
saint, no earthly ruler, no church, no pastor, no denomination, no
political party, no Republican, no Democrat, no independent. This empty search reveals the
human dilemma of this present hour that our problems are beyond
ourselves and we are incapable and incompetent to solve the
dilemma that is around us. No one in Washington has the
answers or the ability. No one in New York, or London,
or Paris, or Moscow can take control and make things right. in this world. This had an effect on John. Third,
note the sorrow in verse 4. Please note John's response.
From a human perspective, it is the only reasonable, rational
response, from a human perspective. In verse 4, we read, John says,
then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy
to open the book or to look into it. John had an emotional meltdown
in heaven. John was sickened with sorrow
in heaven. Here are tears in heaven. The
future looks too bleak for John. to continue. If there is no one
in the cockpit of this plane upon which I am flying, if there
is no one in control who knows where to take it, if history
is just amiss and adrift, if there is no rhyme or reason the
way everything fits together, then John just began to weep
greatly, uncontrollably because everything seems out of control. From John's perspective, from
a human perspective, it appeared that evil would prevail over
good. That in the end, sin would triumph
over righteousness. That false religion would prevail
over true religion. And so John wept. I certainly feel something of
this and perhaps you do as well when you turn on cable news.
and you receive the latest report of just the insanity that is
taking place in the world. From the right, from the left,
from every hemisphere, from every continent, from every nation,
we see the entire world seemingly ready to just burst into flames. And as we look around and observe
the national and international scene, I think any thinking person
would be concerned and even to the point as John is experiencing
here a degree of sorrow over the sin and over the unrighteousness
to the point, is there any hope? Well, in verse 5, I want you
to note the solution. Because in the midst of John's
weeping, there is now an interruption. John is unexpectedly addressed
by one of the elders in heaven. This is a glorious interruption. This is a tap on the shoulder
that every one of us needs here today. This is a wake-up that
every one of us needs to have yet again. And in verse 5 we
read, and one of the elders said to me...again, it's unimportant
who one of the elders is, we don't even need his name. The
entire focus in myopic, tunnel-like vision is upon the book and whoever
is worthy to take this book. Elders, angels, believers are
all bit players on the perimeter of the stage. In the spotlight
is the book. in the right hand of God and
who is worthy to take the book and to break the seals and to
begin to implement what is written in the book. And so one of the
elders said to me, stop weeping. It's a gentle rebuke. Get a hold
of yourself, man. This is inappropriate. given what I am about to show
you." And there is no need for this, John. This is a wrong response. You're an apostle, for heaven's
sake. Your name's not Joan, it's John. Stop weeping because of what
you're about to see. Note the next word. Behold, which
means to refocus. You need to get...you need to
catch a vision of this, John. You need to focus upon this.
You need to behold this. You need to block out everything
else and you need to see this, John, because you're becoming
like Peter when he was walking on water, he was doing fine because
he was focused upon the Lord. But when he began to look at
the angry waves that were crashing around him, Peter began to sink. And that's what's happening to
John as he's been looking at the imperial might of the Roman
Empire and the rising of nations. And John is sinking and weeping. Behold, get your vision right. Get your perspective. Have this
eternal perspective. 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. We know who the lion is.
Everyone in this building today surely knows who the lion of
the tribe of Judah is. This was prophesied long ago
by Moses in Genesis 49. He would be this lion who would
come from the tribe of Judah. And as he comes as a lion, he
would step onto the scene of human history, ferocious, kingly,
aggressive, dominant, conquering, stalking, preying upon his victims,
pouncing and devouring. This lion king is the king of
kings and the Lord of lords. He is the sovereign of history. And He is from the tribe of Judah,
the royal tribe, the kingly line. It would be from this tribe that
Christ, in fact, came. He is the root of David. That
means He is growing out of David. He is the descendant of David. This is the Messianic title,
Isaiah 11, 1 and 10. It's a...He's out of the Messianic
line. He is the rightful heir to the
throne of David. And He has overcome. He has won
the victory already. He has conquered His enemies
by His death, burial, and resurrection, ascension, exaltation at the
right hand of God the Father. He has now overcome all the forces
of sin and death and Satan and demons and the world system and
unbelief. He has overcome. And because
of this? He has overcome so as, in other
words, in order to open the book. He has won the right to open
the book. He alone is qualified by His
overcoming to open the book and its seven seals. All of human
history and the future of this world as written in this book. will now belong to the Lion of
the tribe of Judah. Here is the message for John
to receive. Caesar is not Lord, Jesus is
Lord. The imperial decrees of the Roman
Empire yield to the eternal decree of the heavenly Emperor. The
throne of Rome is subservient to the throne of heaven. The
Senate of Rome does the bidding of the eternal counsel of God. Man plans his ways, but God is
sovereign over all and directs his steps. The heart of the king
is in the hand of the Lord. As rivers of water, He channels
it whichever way He wills. This is the message that John
must hear at the end of the first century as he looks around. It
had the appearance that Christianity was weakening and that Rome was
rising, and there seemed to be little hope for the future. But
what John needed to see was the entire world from the heavenly
perspective, from God's throne above, and to see that God's
immutable purposes and His invincible plan is moving forward exactly
as planned. So not the surprise in verse
6, because John was not ready for the shock that he now receives
as he turns his head to see this conquering lion, he sees something
else. Something totally different.
Verse 6, and I saw. Please note how many times John
records, and I saw, and I saw, and I saw as he is beholding
this panoramic vision of the heavenly scene. And I saw between
the throne with the four living creatures, literally the four
living ones, these are the four angels immediately posted, positioned
around the throne of God, guarding the glory of God and guarding
all access to the throne of God. These are known by some as presence
angels as they are in the immediate presence of God. And I saw between the throne
with the four living creatures and the elders, a lamb. He was looking for a lion, instead
he sees a lamb. A defenseless, lowly lamb. In the Greek, it's the diminutive
form which means a little lamb, like a pet lamb. What? This is the solution to
the world's problems? A lamb? Are you kidding me? A
lamb? But there are some distinctives
about this lamb that Distinguish it from any other lamb. This
is no ordinary lamb. This is a one-of-a-kind lamb. This is a monogamous and only
begotten lamb. This is a lamb like no other
lamb. It says, standing as if slain. This lamb has been slain. The Greek word here means slaughtered.
It has been mutilated. It has been cut up. as though
it were a sacrificial animal that had been cut into pieces
and then offered to God. So slain was this Lamb that He
still bears the marks of His death in His nail-pierced hands,
even in heaven. But what a contradiction this
is. Slain, yet standing. If He's standing, that means
He's alive. He's come back from the dead. He's been raised to
life. And He's not merely alive, He
is standing. He is standing triumphantly.
He is standing victoriously. He is standing in conquest. And note these features, having
seven horns. Horns represent an animal's power
to butt another. enemy, to inflict wounds, to
exert dominance over one's foes. But He has not two horns, He
has seven, seven in the number of completeness and perfection.
This is saying this Lamb has omnipotence. He has all power. There is no power outside of
His power. All power is His power. There
can be no successful advance against Him because He has seven
horns. He has all power. And more than
that, He has seven eyes, it says, which are the seven spirits of
God sent out into all the earth. He is all-seeing. He is all-knowing. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing
catches Him off guard. This is an invincible combination. He is both omnipotent and omniscient. He is both all-powerful and all-knowing. He is all-sovereign and all-seeing. He is invincible. In verse 7,
the sheer drama of this cannot be conveyed. This extraordinary
moment, verse 7, our eyes should be a fountain of tears, our heart
should leap out of our chest as we read what John beheld. And he came, referring to this
lion lamb. Lamb, His humility to lay down
His life for us. Lion being raised up by God to
judge heaven and earth. He came. He boldly approached
the throne of God where no one else has been able to approach
the throne of God and make their way past the four living creatures. He came because He alone was
worthy. He alone was competent and took
the book. out of the right hand of Him
who sat on the throne. And as He takes the book, He
takes the reins of human history and will bring the end of this
age to its perfect climactic crescendo and consummation. Nothing is adrift, nothing is
amiss, no matter how dark the days, no matter how dismal the
hour, no matter the raging of the nations, Christ has taken
the book. And He will be the one who will
execute what God the Father wrote in the book from before the foundation
of the world. It is immutable, it is unalterable,
it is fixed, it is foreordained, it is predestined, it is predetermined. So Christ now seizes control
of the book and with the book, He seizes control of the future
of the world. This sovereign Lion, this Lamb
slain, you and I know, is none other than the Lord Jesus the
One to whom we have committed our lives, the One who has come
to indwell us, the One who by His death as our Lamb has washed
away our sins, the One of whom we have now become a part of
His body in the church, this One who is our great Shepherd
who leads us in the paths of righteousness, this coronation
seen in heaven has occurred at the time of the return of Christ
back into heaven after His resurrection and ascension and exaltation
at the right hand of God. He now says, all authority in
heaven and earth has been given unto Me. He now says, I will
build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against
it. For Christ is greater than all, and Christ working in and
through His church will carry out His eternal purposes here
on the earth. And the end of the age will be
a very wicked time as sin and unrighteousness will run rampant
throughout the earth. But God has committed to His
Son this book. which will carry out the perfect
ending to this age. Christ now possesses all authority
to convert His enemies, to overturn circumstances, to build His church,
to raise up workers, to send out missionaries, to open a door
that no man can close, to close a door that no man can open. To send the power of the Holy
Spirit, He has all authority to carry out everything that
is written in this book. What was the response to this?
What should be my response? What should be your response
this morning? Oh, note verse 8, fourth, the submission. At the sight of this glorious
scene, all heaven falls like cut timber. before the Lord Jesus
Christ. Verse 8, when He had taken the
book, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before
the Lamb. There's no way they could remain
standing, not in the immediate presence of one so glorious and
one so sovereign and supreme. They fell down. It's the only
appropriate response. No one is left standing. No one
is unmoved. All are overwhelmed. as they
now prostrate themselves and humble themselves and surrender
and submit themselves to this Lamb, each one holding a harp. I would have thought a trumpet,
which is so militant, which calls the people of God to action.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, the
trumpet of God and the voice of the archangel, and the dead
in Christ shall rise first, and we who are alive and remain shall
be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. But here it's a harp. Harp is far more soothing, far
more calming. In heaven there is no panic,
only plans that are being perfectly carried out by the administration
of the sovereign Savior. And golden bowls full of incense,
which are the prayers of the saints. Every prayer that has
been offered to God has been collected by God over the years
and over the decades and over the centuries. Not a one has
been discarded. Not a one has been lost. All
will be answered according to the perfect wisdom and will of
God. Not all will be answered in the
manner with which they were asked. But they will all be answered
and they are all precious to God because they are all indications
of trust in God and looking to God and faith in God and reliance
upon God and God has collected them all in heaven. It is this posture of submission
in heaven before Christ that must be our posture here this
morning. Though I am standing and you are sitting with our
physical body, within our heart and within our soul, every one
of us must fall down in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. I must
yield my entire life to Him. He bought me at the cross, at
the price of His own life. And all that I am and all that
I have belongs to Him and I must yield it all to Him. Whatever
possessions I have are His possessions. He is the owner. I am merely
a steward. They are on loan to me for but
a season. Everything is yielded to this
risen Christ. Note the singing in verse 9.
Oh, heaven is such a singing place. Those who are saved are
singers. Christianity is a singing religion.
Heaven is a place of singing. Note verse 9, and they, referring
to the 24 elders and all whom they represent, they sang a new
song. All heaven now bursts forth in
praise. I want to say it again, if you're
saved by God, you are a singer to God. If you're not singing
to God, you're not saved by God. He put a new song in my heart
and many shall hear it and be glad. Let the redeemed of the
Lord say so. And they sang a new song because
they now have a new awareness, an increased awareness of God's
glory and the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they must now
sing a new song with new heartfelt passion. And this is what they
sing, worthy are you, referring to Christ in Christ alone. Worthy
are you to take the book and to break its seals. You alone
are worthy to hold sway over human history, to exert your
dominance over the nations. You alone are worthy to execute
the contents within the book and to direct human history to
its appointed end. Nothing's up for grabs. It's
all going according to the plan. Worthy are you to take the book
and to break its seals, for you were slain." This is why you're
worthy, because you were slain. You humbled yourself more than
anyone has ever humbled himself. Therefore, you will be raised
higher than anyone has ever been exalted. Because you were obedient
unto death, God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And so He is worthy now
to take the book because He humbled Himself unto death and was slain
and purchased for God with your blood. Men from every tribe and
tongue and people and nation, so much I want to say at this. I'll have to limit myself to
simply saying that at the cross, Jesus bought you. You belong to Him. You're under
new management. You have a new master. He paid
the price and shed His blood. and bought us, the church of
the Lord Jesus Christ, those who are true believers in Christ. This word was used, agaradzo,
for the slave market. And a cruel slave, a cruel master
would sell a slave in a slave market, and another master could
come and buy that slave. And Jesus Christ is the greatest
Master you and I will ever have. He is such a benevolent Master. He is such a loving and kind
Master. And at the cross, He laid down
His life and He gave Himself a ransom for many. You were redeemed
not with corruptible things such as silver or gold, but with precious
blood of a Lamb, unblemished and spotless, the very blood
of Christ. He says that they are singing
in heaven that we have been purchased, note, from every tribe, out from
among. He did not purchase the totality
of every tribe, every tongue, every people, every nation, but
He purchased those out from among every tribe and out from among
every tongue and every people and every nation. He purchased
all those who would become true believers in Him and who would
commit their life to Him. Not a drop of His blood was wasted
upon those who would reject Him in the end. His blood bought
His own bride as He laid down His life, not for the goats,
but for the sheep. And You have made them to be
a kingdom. citizens in His kingdom under the authority of His kingship
and under the authority of His law. But not only brought us
into His kingdom, but notice, He has made us to be priests
to our God, unlike other kingdoms where citizens rarely could ever
see the King, but for a fleeting moment from a far distance as
He would come by in a carriage In this kingdom, we are all priests. We have direct access to the
throne of God. We can come into His presence
morning, noon, and night, and there be received by Him, and
to bring our petitions to Him, and know Him, and love Him, and
sing His praises. Never was there a king. so sovereign
over a kingdom and yet so compassionate to those within the kingdom and
to grant the access. Verse 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. The word myriad means 10,000. Myriads in the plural means 10,000
with a lot of zeros after it. This was before our national
debt. Ten thousands times ten thousands
with many zeros after it, there are billions and billions of
angelic beings and glorified saints around the throne of God
and then thousands, plural, of thousands, plural, millions upon
millions thrown in after that. This vast throng, and note, sang
with a loud voice. There's no one mumbling in heaven
when they sing. There's no one muted. They're
shouting. Worthy is the Lamb, worthy is
the Lamb. They are passionate, they are
fervent, their hearts are on fire for God as they are in His
immediate presence. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Again, note the emphasis upon
the death of Christ throughout this. to receive power and riches
and wisdom. You may say, well, I thought
He had all power and all riches and all wisdom already. Why does
this say that He would now receive that which He already has? And
the answer to that is when He came into this world in His virgin
birth, in the state of His humiliation and incarnation, He voluntarily
chose not to use all of the divine prerogatives that belong to Him
as God. He never relinquished His deity
but He voluntarily chose not to use all of the attributes
of His deity. And now after His resurrection
and ascension back to heaven, He receives the right to exercise
and to use all of His power and all of His riches and all of
His wisdom which had been His all along but that He chose not
to use it. And with that now, the result
in honor and glory and blessing. Please note the order. It is
the theology that is producing the doxology. It is the doctrine
that is producing the delight in God. Because He has received
power and riches and wisdom, He now will receive honor and
glory and blessing from His people as they recognize the greatness
of the Savior. and every created thing which
is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea
and all things in them." This anticipates the very end. This
is Philippians 2, 9 through 11. To Him who sits on the throne,
that is God the Father, and to the Lamb, that is God the Son.
Please note, the Father and the Son receive the very same worship. Here is a clear statement of
the full deity and co-equality of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
that in the end, even every unbeliever will bow the knee in acknowledgement
that Jesus Christ is Lord. They will not have received Him
as lamb, and they will be devoured by Him as lion. But they will
bow the knee and confess that Jesus is Lord. To Him who sits on the throne
and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and dominion, please
note, forever and ever. The choir sang, Jesus shall reign. where the sun does its successive
journeys run. His kingdom shall spread from
shore to shore till moon shall wax and wane no more. He will never be impeached. He
will never be put out of office. He will never be succeeded by
another. Once installed at the right hand
of God the Father, and once receiving this book to become the executor
of the end of the age, He will reign and He will reign forever
and ever and ever. And finally, verse 14, and the
four living creatures kept saying, amen, amen. Heaven is an amening church. Amen. And the elders fell down. Of course they fell down. And
you and I will fall down when we are in His immediate presence
and acknowledgment and recognition that He alone is worthy of our
praise. And the elders fell down and
worshiped. The word worship means to kiss
toward. as they give their affection and their love and their devotion
to this One so glorious who would humble Himself and die for such
wretched, hell-bound, wicked, depraved sinners and wash them
in the blood and clothe them with His perfect righteousness.
and present them faultless before the throne of God in heaven. Of course they fell down. And
of course they kissed toward the Son and gave Him the honor
and the glory that belongs to Him alone. If you're a believer
here today in Jesus Christ, be confident. As we sail into perilous
times here upon the earth, be confident because Christ is reigning
even in the darkest hours of history. And He is bringing this
age to its appointed end and there will be much conflict and
much tribulation. If you're an unbeliever, you
need to be converted to Christ. You need to know this One, Jesus
Christ, and there is no one else who can save you from your sin. There is no one else who can
save you from the coming wrath of God which you so rightly deserve. You must come to Him as the Lamb
of God who takes away the sin of the world, who laid down His
life for ransom for many. If you do not receive Him as
Lamb, You will face Him as Lion and He will devour you and He
will consume you with His wrath. But now is the accepted time.
Behold, today is the day of salvation. Come to Christ today. Surrender
your life to Him. Believe upon Him and trust your
soul to Christ and He will save you. He will forgive you. He
will wash you. Just come to Him. He loves to
receive sinners to Himself. He came not for the righteous
but for the unrighteous. Tell Him how unrighteous you
are. Tell Him how badly you need His perfect righteousness to
clothe you. And it will be the delight of
His heart to gather you into Himself and to make you a child
of God and one day to take you before this very throne where
you will be with God forever and ever and ever. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. Let us pray. Father in heaven,
thank You for the record of Revelation chapter 5. that so puts the glory
of our Savior on display. We love Him, we cherish Him,
we worship Him, we adore Him, we kiss toward Him. Lord Jesus,
thank You for being so willing to become a lowly lamb, to come
down into this world of sin and woe and to go to a cross and
there be the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the
world. We will love You forever for doing this for us. We will
never stop praising You and magnifying Your all-glorious name. May there
even be here today those who will turn to You in repentance
and faith and be washed by the blood of the Lamb. In Jesus'
name, amen.