All of you know Brother David
Adkins, pastor of the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Jacksonville,
North Carolina. A few weeks ago when I was down
there preaching, David told me something of his experience of
grace, how God brought him to faith in Christ. I want to share
it with you. I believe it'll be useful to
you. David and his wife, Kathy, had
not been exposed to religion, but both of them liked to read.
So David went out and bought a Bible, and he began with the
book of Genesis and started reading. And as he read through Genesis,
Exodus, and Leviticus, he began to tell Kathy, Honey, we've got
to have a land. We've got to have a land. We've
got to have a lamb. Man can't approach God without
a lamb. He thought it was crazy. But he was convinced, believing
the word. A man can't approach God without
a lamb. And then he heard Henry on television
one Sunday morning preaching. Behold, the lamb of God. That's the lamb we've got to
have. That's the lamb. Everything in the Bible, everything,
is built upon a Lamb, centers in a Lamb, and points to a Lamb. In the Old Testament, the hope
of Israel and the center of worship is a Lamb. All the symbolism
of the Old Testament worship focused the attention of the
people constantly upon a Lamb. All the promises and prophecies
of the Old Testament found their fulfillment in a lamb. Every
blessing of grace and mercy from God Almighty flowed to sinful
men through the blood of a lamb, symbolically. I don't have to
tell you that that lamb is the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior,
the Son of God, the sinner's substitute. When John the Baptist
saw Christ coming to him, He pointed to it, and he said, there
he is. There's the Lamb that's been
hoped for. There's the Lamb that's been
promised. There's the Lamb that's been pictured. There's the Lamb
we've been looking for. Behold the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the world. From the very beginning, the
only way sinful men could approach the Holy God was through the
blood of a flame Lamb. In order for sinful men to draw
near to God in his holiness, they had to bring the blood of
an innocent victim offered as a sacrifice to God. That innocent
lamb was a picture of Christ, the Lamb of God, who died for
the unjust that he might bring us to God. Let me give you some
examples. You can jot them down and look
at them later. In Genesis chapter 4, Abel and
Cain, the first two worshippers after the fall, came to God.
Cain brought the fruit of the grain, the labor of his hand,
the best that he had. He brought the best that he had.
He was sincere. He was devoted. He worshipped
God at a costly sacrifice. But God had no respect for his
offspring. Abel sought the firstlings of
the flock. and God favored Abel, not because
Abel was better than Cain, but because Abel's sacrifice was
a sacrifice to faith, pointing to that Lamb who was to come,
the Lord Jesus Christ. throughout the Old Testament,
listen to this, you can read it in Leviticus chapters 1-8,
the burnt offerings, the meat offerings, the feast offerings,
the sin offerings, the trespass offerings, the priest offerings,
all these offerings, all these sacrifices to God involved the
sacrifice of a lamb. Constantly, lambs were slain. the morning and evening sacrifices,
every day in the tabernacle and in the temple, the priests would
come and they would make these sacrifices day after day after
day, and they would say, there's a Lamb coming, by whose blood
God Almighty shall be appeased, there's a Lamb coming, by whose
blood our sins shall be put away. And the Day of Atonement, of
course, That very picture of redemption by Christ Jesus, when
Aaron would go in, into the Holy of Holies, and there offer up
a lamb as a sacrifice to make atonement for himself and for
the people of Israel. All of this blood, the blood
of these innocent victims, offered upon Jewish altars, offered day
after day, week after week, month after month, year after year,
could never take away from them. That sacrifice on the Day of
Atonement had no merit with God. Those lambs that were offered
by Abel and by the others had no merit with God. They couldn't
take away sin. They couldn't change the man
who offered them. They could do nothing to appease
God's wrath. Those sacrifices simply taught
one lesson. There was one thing which God
always kept before men from the very beginning. God was saying
sinful man cannot approach God and His holiness without a sacrifice. All of those sacrifices, those
multiplied thousands of sacrifices, pointed to one Lamb, the Lamb
of God, which takes away the sin of the world. Now, as man
cannot approach God without a sacrifice, even so God Almighty will not
approach man but through the blood of a sin-atoning Lamb. God always deals with men on
the basis of Christ, always. God always deals with men on
the basis of that lamb that was slain. When God comes in judgment,
his judgment comes upon men because they despise the lamb. That's
why men tell it. They despise the Lamb. They reject
the Lamb. God points them to the Lamb.
God commands them to worship the Lamb. God commands them to
bring the sacrifice of the Lamb. God commands them to trust the
Lamb. Man says, no! God says, okay,
the Lamb's going to judge you. The Lamb's going to judge you.
And all mercy and grace is bestowed upon those who trust the Lamb.
Those who look to the Lamb of God, to them mercy is given.
Those who look to the Lamb of God, to them life is given. Those
who look to the Lamb of God, for them sin is washed away. Now, this is clearly set forth
in the picture of that Paschal Lamb over in the book of Exodus,
chapter 12. It was an imminent passage of
Christ. As a matter of fact, Paul refers to Christ and says,
Christ, our Passover, is sacrifice for us. God was sending judgment
upon the nation of Egypt. He was bringing that nation to
its knees. He was going to destroy that
nation that he might deliver his people. And God was bringing
mercy to Israel. He dealt with Egypt and with
Israel on the basis of the land. He dealt with Egypt and with
Israel on the basis of that land. Egypt had no regard for the land. They all died. The firstborn
in the house of every man in Israel, or in every man in Egypt,
was slain that night. But Israel, the people of God,
wherever there was faith in the land, wherever there was obedience
to God's word, wherever the blood was applied to the doorpost of
the ladle, God bestowed it. God withheld his judgment. God
stayed his hand of judgment and opened his hand of mercy, not
because Israel was better than Egypt, but because Israel was
under the blood of the Lamb. And God said, when I see the
blood, I'll pass it on to you. It's still true today. That's
the way God deals with men, through the blood of the Lamb. Oh, learn
these two lessons and learn them well. You cannot approach God
without Christ. You can't do it. You cannot draw
near to God but through the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, the
sinner substitute. And God will not bestow any mercy
or any grace upon any sinner except that sinner be washed
in the blood of Christ. The bleeding, crucified, slain
Lamb of God says two things to all men. He says, him that cometh
to me, I will in no wise cast out. Look unto me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth. And he also says, I am the way,
the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. In other words, our Savior says,
look to me and you shall live. Deny me, refuse me, turn your
back upon me, you will surely die. The Lord Jesus is the way,
without him there's no going. He's the truth. Without him,
there's no knowing. He's the life. Without him, there's
no living. Salvation is in the Lamb of God. Trust Him! And you see it. It's that simple. Right now,
right where you sit, trust the Lamb. Trust the Lamb. And He will abundantly bless
you. Despise Him, and you must forever
die. Everything Everything in the
Word of God points to the Lamb. Everything centers in the Lamb.
Everything comes from the Lamb. Everything is built on the Lamb,
and everything finds its constellation in the Lamb. And the same thing
is true with regard to eternity. In heaven's eternal glory, the
central figure of the universe is and shall forever be the Lamb,
the Lamb of God. In eternity, the center of all
things, in God's mind and purpose, indeed, in God's very heart and
being, was the Lamb. Today, the center of all things
is the Lamb, and in eternity to come, the center of all things
is the Lamb, the Lamb of God. Let me show it to you this evening
in Revelation chapter 5. Revelation 5 and verse 6. When John was called up to heaven,
to behold things from heaven's vantage point. He was called
up so that he might see things the way God sees them. He was
called up into heaven so that he might see things like they
really are. Then the Lord God gave him a vision of the Lord
Jesus, and this is what John recorded. In verse 6, And I beheld,
and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in
the midst of the elders, stood a lamb. as it had been slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits
of God, sent forth into all the earth. And then all the hosts
of God's elect, both men and women and the angels of God,
stood before him, having been the Lamb of God slain for their
sins, and they bowed down before him. And every one of them in
unison cries out in verse 14, or verse 13, rather, worthy is
the Lamb, worthy is the Lamb that proclaims. Jesus Christ,
the Lamb of God, is worthy of all adoration, worthy of all
faith, worthy of all praise, worthy of all honor, and he's
the only one who is. He's the only one who is. It
seems to me that this fifth chapter of Revelation is given to show
us one thing in particular. The Lord Jesus Christ in his
sacrificial character as the Lamb of God is the center of
all things and the prominent object of all faith, all worship,
and all praise. I said the prominent object of
all worship, faith, and praise. because we do worship the Father
and the Spirit as well as the Son. We are Trinitarian. Yet
we recognize that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit can only be worshipped through the mediation of Christ
the Lamb. All we know of God, all we learn
of God, all we bring to God we know of, we learn of, and we
bring to Christ the Mediatorial Lamb. We know God through Christ,
and God deals with us through Christ, only through Christ.
I'll call your attention this evening, just briefly, as we
go through these verses, to five things. First of all, I want
you to consider briefly the perception of the light. May God call your
heart, mind, and attention for just a little while to be focused
on the light. that you might behold the Lamb.
John perceived the Lord Jesus Christ. He saw this Lamb, but
how did he see it? What condition was he in when
he looked and beheld the Lamb of God in His glory? If you'll
read verses 1 through 4, you'll find that John saw that there
was no man in heaven, earth, or hell found worthy to open
the book and to loose the seals thereof. There was none who could
approach the throne of God. and take the book of God's eternal
purpose, the book of God's eternal decree, and open it up. And John
says here in verse 4, And I wept much, because no man was found
worthy to open the book, and to read the book, neither to
look thereon. And commenting on this fact,
Charles Spurgeon made the statement, he said, By weeping I, the Lamb
of God is bestowed. Eyes washed by repentance are
best able to see those blessed truths which shine forth from
our incarnate God, the bearer of our sins. Free grace and dying
love are most appreciated by the mourners in dying. I like
that. David said the same thing. He
said in Psalm 34, I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered
me from all my fears. They looked unto him and were
lightened, and their faces were not ashamed. Let this then be
our prayer. Spirit of God, let me see Christ. Let me see Christ. That's what
I've come here for tonight. I want to see Him, and I want
you to see Him. Let me see Christ so that I may
weep over my sin, and seeing Him through the watery eyes of
resentment, let me see Him clearly, perceiving by faith who He is.
what he's done for me. Then in verse 5, John describes
the personality of the lamb as he beheld him. And one of the
elders saith unto me, weep not. It's interesting to me, the elders
of course represent the church of God. The four living creatures
represent the preacher. And it was not one of the preachers
or one of the prophets who came and said, John, weep not, but
it was one of the common folks. I shouldn't use that kind of
phrase. God's people aren't common folks. They're all believing
priests before God. One of the elders in the church
instructs the apostle, and he says to him, weep not, no need
for you to sorrow. 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. Christ's worthiness
to receive all honor, worship, and praise is primarily seen
in his glorious Over here in verse 12, it all said with a
loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain. And we do rejoice
in and give praise to Christ because of what he's done for
us. Were it not for the fact that he loved us and gave himself
for us, we would never have loved him. We could never have given
him the praise that is due unto his name. But our praise and
our honor and our adoration of Christ While it is caused by
what he's done for us, it is arising from principally not
so much what he's done as who he is. We worship the lamb because
of his character, because he's worthy of worship. This is what
I'd say. If this lamb should in his wrath
cast my soul into hell, he's still worthy of worship. If he
won't receive my worship, he's still worthy of my worship. If
he will not allow me to speak his praise, he's still worthy
of my praise. Not because of what he does,
but because of who he is. He's the Lamb of God. He's the
Lamb of God. Who is the Lord Jesus Christ?
He's God our Savior. He's a man like unto us. He is
the God and man in one glorious person. But notice how John describes
him in this verse. This Lamb is the lion. of the
tribe of Judah. Now, that seems contradictory.
The land, the meek, the lowly land, the lion, the king of the
beast, the lion, the mighty, ferocious lion. Now, this speaks
of the dignity of our Savior's office as king. and his majesty
as our Lord. Christ, according to the flesh,
came from Judah. He's described, as a matter of
fact, prophetically, over in Genesis 49, if you want to turn
there. You'll remember how that Jacob
was blessing his son Judah. He was bestowing the blessings
of the household upon his son. And in Genesis 49, in verse 9,
it says, Judah is a lion's wealth. Christ the Lion of the tribe
of Judah, from the fray, my son, thou art gone up, he stooped
down, he's couched as a lion, and as an old lion who shall
rouse him up. The scepter shall not depart
from Judah, the kingly lines shall not depart from Judah,
nor the lawgiver from between his feet. That is, Judah shall
be ruler in Israel until Shiloh come." You know who he is, don't
you? That's Christ the Lord! "...until Shiloh come, and unto
him shall the gathering of the people be." Now, John gives us
this description of Christ. The elder said, don't weep John,
the lion of the tribe of Judah has come and he prevailed to
open the book. He's a lion for he's great in
strength. He is the mighty God, the able
savior, the strong deliverer. This lamb is an effectual redeemer,
an almighty protector, a powerful avenger. There's no lack of power
and strength in our savior. We may trust him with implicit
confidence. Hush the lion, he'll deliver.
Hush the lion, he'll protect. Like a lion, our Savior is bold
and courageous. into the battle and engaged satan
the enemy of our souls and the enemy of his throne and with
lion-like boldness he defeated him and the powers of darkness
with unflinching courage like a lion our savior is full of
irresistible power he has a lion's heart and a lion's strength he
comes forth conquering end to conquer and yet here is great
wonder In order to redeem us from the curse of the law, this
lion of the tribe of Judah was a lamb led to the slaughter.
This lion was led like a lamb before her sheep, before her
shearers, and he opens out his mouth. This lamb is also the
root of David. As regards his human nature,
Christ is the son of David. He's described as such repeatedly
through the scriptures. He's David's offspring. He came
from Jephthah, from Judah. He came from David. And yet he
is David's Lord. He says so in Matthew 22, verses
41 through 44. But I think this word, the root
of David, has an indication that is usually not perceived. The
root is the source of life. The root is the source of the
tree. Now, what we're reading here
is this. The Lord Jesus Christ is the root out of whom David
came, and to whom David owns his existence. He is the root
from whom David derives his being. He is the root upon whom David
must depend. And more than that, the Lord
Jesus Christ is the root from whom all of God's elect springs.
We derive our life from him. We live by virtue of his living. He lives, therefore we live also. And this Lamb is the mighty conqueror. We read here that he hath prevailed
to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof. On the
cross, the Lion of Judah, the Root of David conquered Satan,
conquered sin, conquered death, conquered hell. This Root of
David, our Lord Jesus, prevailed over his enemies and ours. And
in doing so, he earned the right to take the book, to open the
book, and to break the seals of it. In other words, he earned
the right to rule this universe according to the purpose of God.
The commentary on this passage is John 17, 2. Our Lord comes
before the Father, and he says, Father, since our hour has come,
glorify thy son, thy son also may glorify thee. I've finished
the work you gave me to do. Now then, you've given me power
over all flesh, that I should give eternal life unto as many
as you have given me." That's what he means here when he takes
the book. Our Lord, by prevailing to open the book, by putting
away our sins, by conquering our enemies, has earned the right
to rule this universe according to God's purpose. As a prophet,
Christ Jesus opens up, reveals, and fulfills all the decrees
of God represented by this book. Christ explains everything. Christ explains everything. The
Lamb is the key to every secret. Apart from faith in the Lamb,
nothing of God's purposes can be known. But believing the Lamb,
everything is as plain as day. Nothing is hidden from them that
believe. He, the Lamb, has abounded toward
us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us The
mystery of his will. The Lord Jesus Christ, over in
John 15, turn there if you will, John chapter 15, made this statement
to his disciples. Let me see if I find it here.
John chapter 15, verse 15. Henceforth I call you not servants,
for the servant knows not what his Lord does. The servant doesn't
have any idea what his master is doing. The master doesn't
consult with the servant. That's why our Savior says, I've called
you friends. For all things that I have heard
of my Father, I've made known to you. I've opened up the book
to you. I've shown you what God's purpose
is. I've shown you what God intends
to do. I am showing you what God is doing. In chapter 11 of
John, John chapter 11, verse 40, Martha is at the tomb of
her brother Lazarus. And the Lord Jesus said unto
her, said I not unto thee that if thou wouldest believe, thou
shouldest see the glory of God. As we believe Christ, as we believe
Christ, We behold the glory of God in everything. Just in proportion as we trust
our Savior, we see the will of God and the glory of God in all
things. Our Lord was saying to Martha,
Martha, if you would just believe while you're standing here weeping
at your brother's tomb, you'd see the glory of God in this!
You'd see the glory of God. Oh, Lord God, give me faith in
Christ, so that I may always, in all things, at all times,
behold the will of God and the glory of God. It is faith in
the Lamb that causes us to see all things in reality. Christ
opened the book. He opened the book. Now, thirdly,
notice the position of the Lamb in verse 6. And I beheld, and
lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in
the midst of the elders, stood a lamb, as it had been slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits
of God sent forth into all the earth." This lamb is in the midst
of the throne. Now, in chapter 4, John describes
the glory of that throne. But this Lamb is perfectly at
home, right in the midst of God's dazzling, unapproachable glory,
because He is Himself God. He's right at home in the midst
of the throne, and the glory surrounding Him is His very own
glory, for Jesus is God! The Lamb is Himself God Almighty! The Lamb is Himself the eternal
God who sits upon the throne. The Lamb that was slain is the
mediator between God and man. Notice, he is in the midst of
the throne. By the mediation of the Lamb,
and only by the mediation of the Lamb, God comes to man, and
man comes to God. He's in the midst of the throne.
How is it that these elders and these living creatures and these
angels themselves are able to appear in the brilliant glory
of God? and not be slain, because they
behold God in the Lamb. They see God only in the Lamb.
God deals with men through the Lamb, and men deal with God through
the Lamb. God draws near to man through
the Lamb, and man draws near to God through the Lamb. The
Lamb in the midst of the throne is the center of everything.
The center of the universe, you read it, lends you back to your
study, the throne of God. Heaven is my throne, the earth
is my city. That's the center of everything.
The center of this physical universe is the sun. The center of God's
universe, the center of all things, is God, the sun of righteousness,
under whose wings there is healing to set in. The Lamb is in the
midst of the throne. He's the center of all. The Lamb
is the center of that blessed circle of fellowship between
God, his people, and the Holy Angels. As in the church below,
so in the church above, Christ is all. He is all. I preached to you about it this
morning, and we talked about it, and we rejoice in it, but
we haven't yet begun to perceive how really true it is. In heaven
itself, Jesus Christ the Lamb is all. Using Christ as the standpoint,
we see all things in their proper place. Our troubles with despair
and despondency, doubts and fears, our troubles with unbelief, all
arise from this one thing. We don't keep our eyes on the
land. We don't keep our eyes on the
land. That's that simple. As we look and look at all things
from the standpoint of the land, then we see everything in its
proper place, exactly as it ought to be. Standing upon this earth,
within the range of mere human opinion, no man sees anything
properly. It's not possible to understand
God's creation or the events of God in Providence until you
come to Christ. Once you come to Christ, Then
you see everything from the center. Once you come to Christ, you
see everything from the center of everything. The person who
knows the Lamb, who was slain for human sin, stands in the
center of all truth. He stands right where all things
may be known. When you come to Christ, whom
the knower writes is life eternal, Then you're in a position to
see everything properly. Everything. Everything in time,
everything in conscience, everything. The man who knows Christ sees
God in his proper place. And man in his proper place.
He sees the holy angels in their proper place. He sees the damned
in their proper place. And he sees the redeemed in their
proper place. So I don't understand all these
things that you talk about. You can't understand them. You
can't understand them. No, you can't see the kingdom
of God. You've got to be born again to see the kingdom of God.
You can't perceive the things of God. You've got to have spiritual
eyes to see spiritual things. You've got to first behold the
Lamb. And if you ever behold the Lamb,
then you look at all things through the Lamb, and you see them open
up so easily, unfold so easily. Men rebel against divine truth
and they can't see divine truth because they seek to understand
divine truth upon the basis of human reason and human learning
and you can't do it. We understand divine truth when
we bow to the Lamb, when we look to the Lamb. In heaven's glory,
we see all things meeting in Christ, the Lamb. Christ is the
coming up of all existence. All things exist by him and for
him. If you seek to know God, go to
Christ. He is God. Let me tell you something. Don't be shocked. Nobody here
has any idea of what God is. Not from the pulpit to the back
door. Nobody here has any idea of what
God is. But as we see him in Christ.
The only way we know what God is. You want to know who and
what God is? Christ is God! All the revelations
of God here is in him. No, no. All the fullness of God
here dwells in him bodily. You want to know God? Go to Christ. You want to know man? Man as
he ought to be? Man as he was created to be?
Behold Christ. There, that man is man, as God
made man to be in perfection. That's manhood in perfection. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb,
is that one in whom God and man are united as one. The Lord Jesus
Christ, the Lamb, is that one where man is united to man as
one. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb,
is that one in whom angels and men meet together as one. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb,
is that one in whom spiritual and material unite as one. For God is spirit, man is material. In Christ Jesus, you have the
spiritual God, who is a spirit, and man, real man, in one And
in Christ Jesus, all the existence of the universe finds its center. Christ being the center of all,
to him all look. By the picture that John shows
us here, it appears that everyone in heaven looks in one direction. They all look to the center.
Every eye sticks on the center. Every eye sticks on the center.
And the center is crossed. The center is crossed. The Father
looks on the center. The Father's eye is always on
the center. Always on the center. Aren't
you glad? Huh? Aren't you glad? From old eternity,
the Father's eye was always on the Lamb. Always been on the
Lamb. He's the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
I wish you'd pay attention to this. The Father's eye is fixed
constantly on the Lamb. We behold and look. Our eyes meet the eyes of God
in the Lamb. In the Lamb. The Father looks
on Him and is delighted. We look on Him and we're delighted. The Father and the people of
God meet on the Lamb. The eyes of the four living creatures,
the preachers of the gospel, are always on Christ the Lamb. Oh, that's the way it is in heaven's
eternal glory, that's the way it ought to be here. The preacher
also always had his eyes on the Lamb. Oh, if preachers would
but constantly look to the Lamb and open up this book and read
these pages in the light of the Lamb, they would declare unto
men constantly the glory of the Lamb. The eyes of the elders,
the eyes of the church are always turned toward the Lamb. In heaven's
glory, God's people look on the Lamb just like they do on this
earth, because He's their all. These are all, everything we
are, everything we have, everything we enjoy, everything we hope
for is the land. They constantly look on the land.
And all the forces of nature are turned toward the land, waiting
for his command. He's their creator. All the angels
are always turned toward the land. He is the one by whom they
are kept in their blessed estate. Jesus the Lamb is the center
of all love, the center of all thought, the center of all action,
and the center of all praise and glory, Lamb. Let it be so
here. And everything seems to revolve
around and rally to this Lamb. that the Father acts. Did you
know everything God ever did and is doing, he does for the
Lamb? Everything. All of God's purposes
run in one direction, that Jesus would be the firstborn and only
begotten, Romans 8 29. Everything God does is for the
Lamb. The Holy Spirit delights to honor
the Lamb. The chief purpose of the triune
Godhead The chief purpose of all that God is and does is to
make Jesus Christ the Lamb of glory. Is that so? Is Christ the Lamb of God, the
center of heaven? Then surely he ought to be the
center of his family upon the earth. Now, here is where the rubber
meets the road. Where speak to it, he's the center
of your life. Speak to it, child of God, that your life revolves
around the Lamb. Speak to it. Speak to it. I have found in
my experience posturing and preaching the gospel all over the place, with most people, the Lamb revolves
around their lives. for most people. The Lord Jesus
is important to most people. The Lord Jesus is a very important
part of the lives of most religious people. But with his people, he is our
life, Father. He is our life. And our lives
revolve around him, not him around our lives. We arrange our lives
to revolve around him. See to it that the center of
traction and the rallying point of the Church of Christ is the
Lamb. See to it. Folks ask me every
now and then. Most people got close don't ask
the question because they know the answer before they ask. But
every now and then somebody come along, you'd lift a crazy Christian. Why don't y'all get together
with us in a softball league? Well, if I wanted to play softball,
I'd join a real team. I wouldn't join a church team.
Why don't y'all get together with us in our youth retreat? Well, if I wanted to take kids
to a party, I'd take them to a real party. I wouldn't take
them to church. Why don't y'all do this? Why don't y'all do that?
Because our rallying point is the land! That's why. But what's wrong with all this
other stuff? Because it takes men's hearts and minds away from
the land. That's what's wrong with it.
People go to church for every reason under the sun. I've been
pastoring, how long now? Going on 16 years, I've measured
by face age. Been pastoring, going on 16 years.
You know, in 16 years, in 16 years, I've had a lot of folks
going around church shopping. They call me up on the phone,
or they come and visit, then we'll talk after a while. And
in 16 years, I've never had but one person to ask me, what do
you preach? One person said, what do you
preach? In 16 years, all the rest of them said, what kind
of youth program have you got? All the rest of them says, what kind
of program do you have for the older folks? What kind of special
activities do y'all have? What do you offer to this group
or that? Well, we offer the same things to retirees that we do
to kindergarten kids. We preach the gospel of Christ. We offer the lamb. We offer the
lamb. That's all. That's all. If anything
else ever becomes the attraction of this place, you just as well
close up shop. Just as well close up shop. And
let all who preach the gospel see to it that the lamb of God
is the center and the substance of all their preaching. Oh Lord
God, make me, when I stand before men, to preach nothing else but
Christ. Nothing. Nothing. Oscar Bailey,
will you come and sit down there? I don't care what time it is,
I don't care when it is, I want to tell you about the Lamb. Nothing
else do you any good. You don't need anything else.
I hope you don't want anything else. That's all! That's all! The Lamb! The Lamb! He's the
center of all. Let Him then be the center of
all our preaching. Is it so with you? Is it so with
me? Is Christ truly the center of
all? God make me to know. the lamb in the midst of the
throne is full of power, wisdom, and grace. Please read here that
he stood in the midst of the throne as a lamb that had been
slain. He yet bears the glorious marks
of his sufferings and death, but he stands as one full of
life. He has seven horns which symbolize his power to protect,
to defend, and to save his people. He has seven eyes which are indicative
of his wisdom by which he rules the world and rules his church
and guides his people through this world. Those seven eyes,
which are the seven spirits of God, also represent the fullness
of his grace and power which he bestows upon his people by
the gifts of the spirits. And then fourthly, John shows
us the performance of the Lamb. Around the throne in heaven,
they never cease to speak of the wonderful works of Christ,
the Lamb of God. In verse 7, he came and took
the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
It is Christ the Lamb, a mediatorial sacrifice, who takes the book
of God's eternal purpose. and makes it known. He took the
book in his hand in the covenant of grace. He fulfilled all things
written in the book in his life of righteousness, in his substitutionary
redemption, and by his providential rule. And he opened the book
to reveal to us the contents of God's purposes by the gospel
that we preach. The spotless lamb was slain.
as the sin-atoning sacrifice. We read in verse 9, they sung
a new song, and this is what they said, 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. The Lamb was slain
by the sword of divine justice. Merle Hardy was slain under the
wrath of Almighty God for you. This blessed land. And having
been slain in the stead of his people, he redeemed us. He redeemed us. It's done. He
accomplished an effectual redemption. It does not say here he provided
for redemption. It does not say he made redemption
a possibility. It says here thou hast redeemed
us. And that redemption was accomplished
for a particular people. Thou hast redeemed us by thy
blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. He redeemed us out of Adam's
fallen race. No, he did not redeem Adam's
fallen race. He redeemed us out of Adam's
fallen race. And this glorious Lamb of God,
sending forth his spirit into our hearts in regeneration, has
made us kings and priests unto God, verse 10, and has made us
unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on earth. We're kings. We're kings. That's what God makes us in regeneration. He implants within us the spirit
and power of his grace by which we rule our passions. and the
lust of our flesh, mortifying our members which are upon the
earth, saying no to ungodliness, and by which we rule our environment,
our circumstances. No, we do not control the world
in which we live, but by the spirit and grace of the Holy
Spirit living within us, we control the influence and the impact
of the world upon us. We are indwelt and ruled by the
Spirit of God. And we're priests. Priests. Men and women who do business
directly with God. Through business, service, and
worship in the holy place. Through the land. Through the
land. I don't have any interest in
an earthly priest. Don't need one. Don't want one. It comes around. He catches me
in a good mood, I'll tell him no thanks. If he catches me in
a bad mood, I'll tell him something else. But I don't have any use
for earthly priests. Christ is our priest, and I'm
a priest in Him. I have access to God by the Lamb. I have access to the throne of
grace that I may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the
time of need. And as priests and kings, we
shall reign with Christ upon this earth. when he makes all
things new. Let me give you one more thing.
I'll be very brief. This chapter closes as the world
itself shall close with the praise of the Lamb. In verses 8 through
14, immediately when he had taken the book, the four beasts and
the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb and began to worship
him. and to sing the song of praise. Jesus Christ is the Lamb
of God slain for sinners. He appeared in that character
in the covenant of grace and eternity. He lived in that character
and died in that character in time. He reigns in that character
as the Lamb forever. And he is universally adored
in that character as the Lamb of God. The praise of the Lamb
begins with the church of God's elect in verses 8, 9, and 10.
The church of God adores the Lamb. We worship Him in prayer,
in praise, in faith, and in obedience. We reverence Him and we adore
Him. This is one mark of God's elect in heaven and in earth. They magnify the Lamb. And then
the angels of God unite with us in this praise and adoration
of the Lamb. In verse 11, the angels of God
worship the Lamb. Now listen. as the sin-atoning
Savior, not because they have been redeemed, not because they've
experienced the atonement, but because they have been instructed
in the mysteries of redemption by redeemed sinners. That's right. You read it in Ephesians 3, verses
8 through 11. I was sitting back in my office
before any of you got here this evening, and I did something
I'd never done before. Do you know the angels of God
have been watching over me for 36 years? Ministering spirits
sent forth to minister to them who are the heirs of salvation.
It may sound silly to you, I think
not. I said, Lord God, let me speak tonight in such a way that
I may be of benefit to those angels who have been ministering
to me for so long, that they may know more perfectly the mystery
of redemption by the Lamb, that the Lamb may be praised. These
angels join in worship because they've been part of the elders,
what the Lamb has done. And then in the end, the entire
universe shall praise and honor the Lamb for his glorious work
of redemption. Verse 13. And every creature
in heaven and on earth and in hell and such as are in the sea
and all that are in them, I heard them say, blessing and honor
and glory and power be unto him that sat upon the throne and
unto the Lamb forever and ever. He who made all things shall
have the praise of all things. Before this lamb every knee shall
bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Christ through
the glory of God the Father. Of him and through him and to
him are all things to whom be glory forever. I have but one
word of application to you. Behold the Lamb. Behold the Lamb. God help us. Behold the Lamb. Say, Preacher, I'm lost and don't
know what to do. Behold the Lamb. Behold the Lamb. The Lamb of God that taketh away
the sin of the world. But what's going to happen then?
Just look. You'll find out. Just look. Look to the Lamb of
God. Brother Don, I'm so depressed,
so downcast, so much trouble, so much disturbing. I talked
to a friend last week. My soul, you and I think we've
got troubles. This poor dear friend living
in misery and turmoil. The troubles going on in his
family. I felt so helpless. So helpless. I couldn't even enter into what
was going through. I couldn't even enter into it. I don't know.
I don't know. But I found something that I
know will help me. I said, Behold the Lamb. Behold
the Lamb. Oh, look, look, look, every look
to the Lamb of God. Behold Him. And learn to read
your troubles through the Lamb. You'll see them clearly. You'll
see them. You'll see the glory of God even
in the midst of your most terrible difficulties. Ever, ever, God
help you, ever look to the Lamb. All is well to those who look
to the Lamb. Amen.