I feel so sorry for Shelby. After
I get done hearing these fellows sing who can sing, I get convinced
I can, and I'll get in the shower and just sing and can't sing
or lick. She has to listen to me anyhow.
Turn with me, if you will, to Revelation, Chapter 5. Revelation,
Chapter 5. I keep praying. David prayed
that he would the Lord would teach his hands to war. And I keep praying God will teach
my lips to preach as he taught David's hands to war. And I read
a passage today in Acts Chapter 28 when Paul got to Rome. They appointed a certain day.
The centurion arranged for Paul to have guests in his lodging. And when they came to Paul on
the given day, he did three things. He expounded and testified the
kingdom of God and persuaded those who would hear him of Jesus
Christ. That's a pretty good description
of what preaching is. It is expounding the word of
God, giving the true message of the scripture as is found
in the context in which you read. but not just expounding the facts
revealed there, or expounding the message there, or expounding
the doctrine there. There's more to preaching than
that. Preaching involves testifying. It is mixing with the exposition
of scripture your personal experience of God's grace upon you and in
you in the kingdom of God. God, give me grace then to expound
your word tonight and testify to these your people what I've
experienced of your grace as it is set forth here in these
14 verses. And there's something else. It's
persuading. You have often heard fellows
say, I don't care whether you believe what I'm preaching or
not. I do. I do. I want to persuade you. persuade you from the Word, to
persuade you with reason, to persuade you with my own experience,
to persuade you intellect, emotion, and will to persuade you by the
Spirit of God to cast your soul into the arms of my Redeemer,
to believe Him, to trust Him, to worship Him, to devote yourself
to Him. Revelation chapter 5. I want
to pick up right where I left off Sunday morning. The title
of my message tonight is The Throne, The Book, and The Lamb. The Throne, The Book, and The
Lamb. The subject is still the same.
Worthy is the Lamb. In this fifth chapter of Revelation,
the vision John relates to us conveys this one message. Everything God has for men, everything
God has for men is in the Lamb, provided by the Lamb, revealed
through the Lamb, and ultimately shall bring praise to the Lamb
of God. All that God requires of sinners
is in Christ. All that God receives from sinners,
he receives by Christ Jesus. And all that God gives to sinners,
he gives through Jesus Christ the Lord. There is one mediator
between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. The only way God
will ever come to you or come to me. The only way God will
ever speak to you or speak to me. The only way God will ever
make Himself known to you or to me. The only way God will
ever allow us to approach Him, to come to Him, to speak to Him
is through this God-man mediator described here as the Lamb of
God. In the fourth chapter, John saw
God's sovereign majesty, the sovereign majesty of the triune
God over all creation. That's the picture given in chapter
four. He saw the door open in heaven.
The Lord God spoke to him with a mighty voice and said, come
up hither and promise to show him things that must be hereafter. And he saw a throne. He saw one
sitting on the throne, glorious and majestic. This is the very
same vision Isaiah had in Isaiah chapter 6. And our Lord tells
us in John 12 that there Isaiah saw his glory. This is the thing
John beholds here. The very thing that he wrote
and said Isaiah saw his glory, he now sees. He sees God sitting
on his throne. Around the throne is a rainbow.
Representing God's covenant mercy and grace he saw sitting in heaven
before the throne of God 24 elders representing the whole of God's
elect all chosen sinners all redeemed sinners all who were
ordained to eternal life before the world began for whom the
24 seats were prepared are now seated with him on his throne
and And among those 24 elders are those four beasts or four
living creatures, gospel preachers, who have led God's people through
the ages in the worship of the Lamb. And he sees all these elders
and all these people saved by God's grace with crowns of gold
on their head and raiments of salvation upon them, clothed
in pure white. Priest of God and kings made
kings and priest unto God by the Lord Jesus and they as they
worship him Take the crown off their head and cast it at his
feet because he alone deserves praise They said thou art worthy
and all creation says that he's worthy He made all things for
himself for his pleasure. They are and were created and
then we pick up in chapter 5 and Here, John shows us a little
more detail with regard to God's sovereign majesty. In chapter
four, he speaks of God's sovereignty, the majesty and sovereignty of
the triune God over all creation. But here he sees the very same
thing and gives a greater detail. For now, he shows us how that
God's sovereign majesty, God's great glory, God's great purpose
is all wrapped up in and revealed in this one man, this one person,
this one mediator described here as the lamb, the lamb in the
midst of the throne, a lamb as it had been slain, a lamb as
it had been slaughtered as a sacrifice for sinners. Now, here are four
or five things I want you to see. First, let's look again
briefly at the throne of God. That's the central object in
these two chapters. Seventeen times in these two
chapters, John mentions the throne. In chapter four, he speaks of
the splendorous, incomparable glory of the triune God, Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit in all His sovereignty. But you'll never
understand anything at all about that until you see what's revealed
in chapter 5. Here John describes the mediator,
the lamb, the one whom he beheld in the midst of the throne, by
whom alone, in whom alone, the triune God, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit is revealed and known. As always, the throne is a symbol
of sovereignty, sovereignty. The God of glory is God on his
throne. Oh, my soul, let me never forget,
not for a second, that God sits on his throne. He rules with
the ease of absolute sovereignty over everything all the time. He always does His will. Our God is in the heavens, the
psalmist said, He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. That was true
yesterday. That's true today. And that'll
be true tomorrow. That's true with regard to all
the good that we see in the world. And that's true with regard to
all the evil we see in the world. Our God rules. The heavens do rule. There is no place in heaven,
earth or hell where angels or devils wiggle without God's decree. You understand that? God alone
rules. Nobody has power, but he who
has all power. Nobody can do anything except
by him who controls everything. Our God rules. If that doesn't
set your heart at ease in the midst of darkness and chaos and
trouble and heartache, I know nothing that can. The Lord our
God, the one true and living God, is a God of absolute sovereignty. He always does exactly what he
will in creation, in providence, and in grace. Sooner or later,
everybody must learn. Sooner or later, you will learn. Sooner or later, everybody must
learn. What Nebuchadnezzar was forced
to learn, the heavens do rule. The sooner, the better. And the
more well you learn it, the more well you will live in this world. The better you learn it, the
better you will live in this world. The heavens do rule. Look
at Hebrews chapter 4. Let me show you something. Hebrews
chapter 4. I tried today. I'm sure if I
really put my mind to it, I could remember more. I can remember
a number of projects when I was in school, a number of projects,
early projects when I was in school. Some of them I kind of
found real interesting. But in elementary school and
high school, junior high school, and in college, I can only remember
One assignment given to me just one just one and remember the
details of it. I Had a professor dr. Jack Clackett
in our one of our classes he said I want you to take Hebrews
chapter 4 and verse 16 and between now and Monday morning, I want
you to just write down everything you can think of and just looking
at this verse of scripture and comparing scripture with scripture.
Oh, what a blessed assignment. What a blessed assignment. I
never had one that was more profitable to my soul. Hebrews 4 16 declares
not only that the throne of heaven, the throne by which this universe
is always governed is a throne of grace. God sits on a throne. He's absolute in his sovereignty. And his sovereignty is the sovereignty
of God, who is called the God of all grace. Moses said, I beseech
thee, show me thy glory. And the Lord said, this is my
glory. I'll have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will be
gracious unto whom I will be gracious. Let us therefore, Hebrews
4.16, let us, who is that? Well, I reckon that means anybody
who wants to. Let us, who is that? Anybody who will. Let us, anyone
who needs to, let us therefore, Since there is a rest for the
people of God, since Christ has entered into that rest and the
works were finished from the foundation of the world, let
us therefore come boldly. Let us come and come with confidence,
come and come with freedom, come and come hiding nothing, come
and open your heart to God. Just just open your heart to
God. Come boldly unto the throne. Oh, I need some help. I need
some help. Sadly, I'm a proud man, and I
don't like to ask for help. Do you? I just don't like to
ask for help. But if I ask for help, you can
bank on it. I'm going to ask somebody who
can help. I'm not about to go ask somebody who can't do what
I can do. I'm going to ask somebody who can help. Let us therefore
come boldly to the throne. the throne. Just one. There's only one throne in the
world. There's only one. All the All the little thrones
which men set up for themselves and by which they think they
have sovereignty and dominion and power, whether they be kings
or businessmen or conmen. All the little thrones that men
claim are nothing but footstools. His throne alone is the throne. Let us therefore come boldly
to the throne of grace. All grace originates here. All
grace comes to sinners from here. All grace returns here with praise. Let us come to the throne of
grace for what purpose? That we may obtain mercy. And obtaining mercy, find grace
to help. When? Just as often as you need. Blessed, blessed, blessed are
those poor souls God puts in need and keeps in need, sweetly
forcing them to come to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and
find grace to help. Grace is that which God Almighty
Delights to bestow upon men he delighteth in mercy. All right
back in Revelation 5 First John saw the throne of God and then
He saw the book of God in the right hand of the eternal triune
God John sees a book a book written within and without and on the
backside Bound shut and sealed with seven seals And I saw in
the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written
within and on the backside sealed with seven seals. And I saw a
strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy,
who is fit, who has the right, who has the authority to open
the book and to loose the seals thereof. And no man in heaven
Nor in earth, neither under the earth was able to open the book,
neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man
was found worthy to open the book and to read the book, neither
to look thereon. Now this book, I have no question
at all, represents God's eternal purpose. It speaks of the book
of God's eternal decrees, speaks of the book of God's divine predestination. It is that book which records
everything God ordained before the world began. So is you believe
God really wrote such a book? And no more than God needs a
tablet to remind himself of something. But he speaks in this way so
we can understand it. It's written down. It's written
down. God wrote it down. It's fixed. It involves all creation. You see, predestination, while
the object of predestination is the salvation of God's elect
for his everlasting glory, predestination of necessity includes everything. There is nothing that comes to
pass in time. Absolutely nothing that comes
to pass in time. Not a thought of a man. Be that man great or be that
man weak. Be he ever so good or ever so
evil. There is not even the thought
of a man that comes to pass in time without God's decree from
eternity. Well, brother Don, how can you
say that? How could I not? How could you go through this
world and not believe that? How dare you walk out in the
street and not believe that? How dare you face any man and
not believe that? How dare you? What gives you
any confidence with anything? But surely God doesn't ordain
everything. If you don't control everything,
you don't control anything. Does that make any sense? Of
course it does. You might pretend to. And you
might sit in your little seat and act like you do. And you
might convince other folks you do. But if you don't control
everything, if there is the slightest particle of creation out there
that's not under your dominion, moving in the path you ordain,
then that may cause chaos everywhere. God rules everything. This book
then involves God's purpose. It is the book that records God's
purpose with regard to all creation, all creatures, all time, all
events, in all ages, to all eternity. Our God is God of purpose. Absolute, unalterable purpose. Come back to Isaiah 49. Isaiah
49. Keep your hands here in Revelation
5, we'll be right back. I'm sorry, Isaiah 46, verse 9. Are you there? Isaiah 46, 9. Remember the former things of
old, for I am God and there's none else. That is, this alone
is God. He who behaves like this, he
alone is God. I am God and there is none else.
I am God and there's none like me. None like me. All the gods
of men, they're just, they're little peanuts. All the gods
that men make and imagine that they make, they're just, they're
just, They're less than the peanuts that you get for stuffing now.
You throw them in the air just two or three and they'll go a
thousand places. Nothing. Just nothing. Just air. I am
God. Beside me there is none like
me. Who is this God then? Who is
it that's God? I am God declaring the end from
ancient times. From the beginning and from ancient
times The things that are not yet done. Wow. Declaring the end from the beginning. Declaring from eternity. Things are not yet done. Not
proposing, not suggesting, declaring. Saying, saying, my counsel shall
stand. and I will do all my pleasure."
Well, what if things are contrary to nature? That's no problem.
He's the God of nature. What if things are, what if,
what if you have something comes up that's just, that's just not,
that's just not to be expected? That's no problem. He's God.
Calling a ravenous bird from the east. Call a raven to come
feed my prophet with fresh meat every day. A raven, a raven, calling the
man that executed my counsel from a far country, calling Darius,
Cyrus, calling Artaxerxes, executing my counsel. Yea, I have spoken
it, I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it, I will also
do it. God's purpose of predestination
then includes all things. The object of his purpose is
the salvation of his elect. Everything comes to pass in time
exactly as it was purposed of God in eternity. And when God's
done, all his people shall be with him in heavenly glory. Back here in Revelation 5. John saw it This book The book
of God's purpose shut up There it is on the side of the
throne hanging right there on the side of the throne and it's
sealed Seven seals Sealed and nobody
knew how to open the seals. Nobody, nobody could break open
the seals. Nobody could look on the book. Nobody could open it up and start
to fulfill the purpose. If the book remains sealed, then
the purpose of God falls to the ground. If the book remains sealed,
then no one is saved. If the book remains sealed, everyone
shall perish. And so John wept and wept much
because no man was found worthy to open the book. It's sealed
with seven seals, not suggesting seven dispensations of time.
That's about as much nonsense as you can find anywhere. No,
no, no. It's sealed with the perfect
seal of God's infinite wisdom, God's infinite goodness, God's
infinite grace. Sealed until the Lamb of God
steps forward. Look in verses 5, 6, and 7. Here's
the third thing. The Lamb of God appears to open
the book. One of the elders said unto me,
weep not. John doesn't have any reason
to weep. That book you see there, that
book of God's purpose, that's as sure as God who sits on the
throne. That's sealed with seven seals,
deliberately according to purpose. Weep not, behold the lion of
the tribe of Judah. The lion. What a picture of our
Redeemer. The root of David. He is that
one from whom David sprang, and he is the one who sprang from
David's root. He's the lion of the tribe of
Judah. He hath prevailed. Prevailed. Prevailed over the roar of Satan. Prevailed over the ages of time. Prevailed with God Almighty. He prevailed to open the book. He prevailed to open the book.
Now, what John sees here, he sees that which has come to pass
in time, and yet it is that which was done from eternity. You remember
our Lord said, He said, Father, the hour has come. Restore unto
me the glory that I had with you before the world was. This
world has always been in the hands of Him who is the Lion
of the tribe of Judah, who has always prevailed. God gave Him
the rule of the universe as the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world because the works were finished before the world
began. All right, read on. He's prevailed
to open the book and to loose the seals thereof, the seven
seals thereof. And I beheld and lo in the midst
of the throne. and of the four beasts, and in
the midst of the elders. Can you imagine the picture? John has seen one sitting on
the throne, majestic, glorious, splendorous. In his ineffable
glory, no eye can look on him. No man can see him, he's God,
infinite, eternal spirit. There he is, I know he's there,
but none can see him. And then suddenly he sees one
in the midst of the throne, standing in the midst of the throne, standing
with absolute authority, standing, never to let anything miss his
attention. And this one who stands in the midst of the throne and
in the midst of the four and twenty elders and in the midst
of the living creatures, this one who stands in the center
of heaven, this one who stands in the center of the universe
is as a lamb that had been slain. A lamb as it had been slain,
the word is slaughtered, butchered, sacrificed, having seven horns,
absolute perfect power. and seven eyes, absolute perfect
wisdom, which are the seven spirits of God, absolute perfect grace
by which he bestows grace and mercy upon his people by his
spirit, sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book. He took the
book. He didn't ask for it. He took
it. He didn't beg for it. He took
it. He walked up. That's mine. Yeah, I'll do that. He took the book. John Trapp,
I think, put it very well. As a mediator, he took it. As God, he gave it. This is the significance of what
John saw. Turn back to Daniel chapter 7.
Daniel chapter 7. The Lord Jesus, our mediator,
has received authority to rule the universe according to the
will of God by virtue of his sin-atoning sacrifice. Thou hast
given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life
to as many as thou hast given him. The triune God has put everything
in Christ's hands to give eternal life to all God's elect for the
glory of the triune God in the salvation of his people. Daniel
7 verse 9, I beheld till the thrones were cast down and the
ancient of days did sit whose garment was white as snow and
the hair of his head like the pure wool. His throne was like
the fiery flame and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream
issued and came forth from before him. Thousands, thousands ministered
unto him and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. Verse 13, I
saw in the night visions and behold one like the son of man. came with the clouds of heaven
and came to the ancient of days and they brought him near before
him and there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom and all
people, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion
is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed. Turn back to Revelation. Look
one more time at Revelation chapter 10. Revelation 10. The triune God has turned the
world over to the rule of the God-man, our mediator, the Lamb
of God. God turned everything over to
him who loved us and gave himself for us. I saw another mighty
angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow
was upon his head. This one who sat on the throne
with the rainbow surrounding his throne, he's come to execute
the covenant. And his face was as it were the
sun and his feet as pillars of fire. And he had in his hand
a little book. A little book. Skip, this is
the book containing all God's decrees concerning all history
in all time and in his hand it's just a little book. It's just a little book. I've got books in my office back
here. I can't hardly hold with one
hand anymore, not for very long, because my hands can't hold much. But this, this one, this angel,
this mighty angel who's come to execute the covenant, this
mighty angel whose feet are as a flame of This mighty angel
holds everything in his hands and everything in his hands is
as small as dust in the balance. Just a little book. Read on.
The little book's open. And he set his right foot upon
the sea and his left foot upon the earth. And he cried with
a loud voice. as when a lion roareth, the lion
of the tribe of Judah who has prevailed, and when he cried,
seven thunders uttered their voices. The will of God is executed
in the earth and in the sea everywhere. The secret counsel of the skies,
a sealed volume lay. for who was worthy to arise and
take the seals away. The listening seraphs stood amazed,
and quiet were the thrones, who on the sacred volume gazed while
silence sealed their tongues. But, oh, when Judah's lion rose,
what shouts of praise resound, for he was worthy to disclose
divine decrees profound. Worthy the book of life to read,
and count the worthless names to everlasting life decreed,
secure from Tophet's flames. Worthy to reign in glory now,
great sovereign of the sky, while angels at your footstool bow
and lift your glory's eye. All right, quickly let's look
at the Song of the Redeemed, verse 8. And when he had taken the book,
the four beasts, the four living creatures, the four gospel preachers,
and the four and 20 elders, all God's elect fell down before
the Lamb. He took the book, they fell down.
That's what you do before a sovereign. Having every one of them hearts
and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the
saints, And they sung a new song. They sung like nobody ever sang
before. Thou art worthy. Thou art worthy
to take the book and open the seals thereof. That is, Lord
Jesus, blessed, crucified Lamb, you're worthy to rule the universe
exactly as you will. For thou wast slain. Not just because you died. Not
just because you died. People everywhere talk about
Jesus dying. That's nothing. That's nothing, Joe. That's nothing.
Talk about him dying? Well, lots of folks have died.
Lots of folks have been slaughtered. Lots of folks have been sacrificed.
That's nothing. Multitudes have sacrificed their
lives in noble causes. That's nothing. That doesn't
give anybody the right to rule the universe. That doesn't give
anyone the right to control your heart and control your thoughts.
But what does? Read on. Thou wast slain, and
because you were slain, something glorious has happened. and hast
redeemed us. You, by your blood, bought us
and brought us back to God by thy blood out of every kindred
and tongue and people and nation. So much for the nonsense that
people talk about universal atonement, universal redemption. He didn't
say you were slain and redeemed every kindred and tongue and
people and nation. He said you redeemed us out of
every tongue and people and nation. And those you've redeemed, you've
made kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. We're made kings and priests
now, and we reign here now. as kings and priests unto God.
Having constant access to God, ever doing business with God
in the holy place, made kings and priests unto God, but oh,
oh, blessed day soon we shall reign with him as kings and priests
on the earth. Susan and Jim were out here yesterday
talking about our trip recently to London. I forgot where it
was that Joe and Alan and Christine, some of them, were going one
day. But one of them was Brother Russell Smith, telling me about
coming back, going up to that park, going up to Isle of Lewis.
He said, you got to see that. Got to see that. Got to make that
drive and that trip. And I said, Russell, I've seen
enough trees and hills and mountains and waterfalls to do me the rest
of my life. I'm waiting to see the new creation. Oh, now that would be something
else. We shall reign as kings and priests on the earth. Read
on. And I beheld and heard a voice
of many angels round about the throne and beasts and elders. And the number of them was ten
thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands. A great
multitude no man can number. saying with a loud voice, worthy
is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and
wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. And then John sees God's purpose
fulfilled. Worthy is the lamb, we read in
verse 12, verse 13, and every creature, not just the angels,
not just the redeemed, but every creature, every creature which
is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such
as are in the sea and all that are in them. It looks to me like, Bobby, that
takes in just about everything. Anyone know of any other place
where anything lives? Heaven, earth, the sea, under
the earth, and such as are in them. That takes in just about
everything. Everything. Every creature. I
heard saying, blessed and honor and glory and power be unto him. The triune God that sitteth on
the throne, this one we now see in the Lamb, slain unto the Lamb
forever and ever. And the four living creatures,
the four beasts, all God's preachers, all the prophets who've ever
existed said, Amen. This is all I wanted, was for
everybody, for everybody. to see and know and acknowledge
the glory of the Lamb. That's all. And the four and
twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth forever and ever. Hear the church triumphant singing,
worthy is the lamb. Heaven with his praise is ringing,
worthy is the lamb. Thrones and powers before him
bending, sweet applause from saints ascending, swell the chorus
never ending, worthy is the lamb. souls from every tribe and nation
ransomed by the Lamb, joined to sing His great salvation,
worthy is the Lamb. Loud as mighty thunders roaring,
floods of endless praises pouring, prostrate at His feet adoring,
worthy is the Lamb. Hearts and songs forever sounding. Worthy is the Lamb. Sovereign
grace or sin abounding. Worthy is the Lamb. By His blood
He dearly bought us. Wandering from the fold He sought
us. And to glory safely brought us.
Worthy is the Lamb. Or sin and death and hell victorious. Worthy is the Lamb. at his resurrection
glorious, worthy is the Lamb. On the tree salvation finished,
there the curse forever ended. Then in glory Christ ascended,
worthy is the Lamb. Sing with blessed anticipation,
worthy is the Lamb. Through this day of tribulation,
worthy is the Lamb. Sweetest song, all songs excelling,
on this theme be ever dwelling. Still untold, though ever telling,
worthy is the Lamb. And so it is. Amen. You're dismissed.