Revelation chapter 5, I'm taking
the title from the statement that's made in verse 5. One of
the elders, Revelation 5.5, and one of the elders, that is one
of those 24 redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who
loved the gospel, believed the gospel, sees John weeping because
no man was found worthy to open his book. And he said, don't
weep, John. Behold, the Lion of the tribe
of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed. He hath prevailed
to open the book, to loose the seals thereof. The Lord Jesus
Christ is the prevailing God, our Savior. The pleasure of the
Lord shall prosper in His hand. So the title of the message taken
from that verse, Jesus Christ hath prevailed. He has prevailed. Everything the Father gave His
Son to accomplish in our salvation, He successfully, effectually
finished, didn't He? He said upon the cross in His
last words, is finished. Prior to that, he prayed, Father,
I've finished the work You gave me to do. Now glorify Thou me
with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before
the world was. Everything the Lord Jesus Christ
undertook for us as our mediator, as our surety, as our sacrifice
and redeemer, He has successfully, eternally accomplished to the
glory of God. That's our hope. Our salvation
rests upon what He did, not what we do. In chapter 4, John saw
the sovereign majesty of the throne of our great God, Almighty
God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and all ministers of the gospel
and all the saints of God, representing in those 24 elders, worship and
adore the Lord God Almighty who lives forever and ever. Look
at chapter 4. verse 10 and 11, and the four
elders fall down before him that sat on the throne and worship
him that liveth forever and ever, and they cast their crown before
the throne saying, Here's this same statement. Thou art worthy,
O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for Thou hast
created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and they were
created. God created all things for His
own purpose that Christ might receive all the honor and glory. In chapter 5, the vision that
John beholds in the message that is declared is that everything
God has for His covenant people is found in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is called the Lamb of God. No wonder the Apostle said, Oh,
that I may win Christ and be found in Him, who is all of our
salvation, all of our righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb
of God, God provided all things through the Lamb. He is that
Lamb of God called Jehovah Jireh, or Jehovah Sidkenu, or Jehovah
Jireh the Lord will provide. My God shall supply all your
needs according to His riches in glory through the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now look at verse 1. And I saw,
chapter 5 verse 1, I saw in the right hand of Him, that sat upon
the throne, a book written within and on the back side, sealed
with seven seals. Now seven again, we're going
to see that number as a number of completeness. Again, we see
the Lord God Almighty occupying His throne. He sits upon the
throne. Our God, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit sits upon the throne, and this throne is a symbol of
His sovereignty, universal power, and absolute dominion. He has
dominion over all things. In these two chapters, chapter
4 and chapter 5, the throne of God is mentioned 17 times. We
see the Lamb of God on the throne of God, ruling and reigning and
controlling all things. A God without a throne is an
idol, is it not? A God without a throne is a worthless,
impotent God not worthy of any worship. The only place a sinner
will actually worship is before the throne of the absolute, almighty,
sovereign God. We worship Him because He is
God, and the only place we'll fall down and worship is at the
throne of Almighty God, who will do as He will, with whom He will,
when He will, for His own glory. Your destiny is in His hands. He worketh all things at the
counsel of His own will. So then, the God of the Bible
is the absolute God of all things. You remember the heathen came
to David one day and said, David, where is your God? Remember what
he replied? He said, Our God is in the heavens,
and He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. Whatsoever the
Lord pleased, that's what He does in heaven, earth, sea, and
all deep places. Isn't that the very lesson that
God taught Nebuchadnezzar, that pagan king? When the Lord taught
him that God is God, He said, all the inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing. And He does according to His
will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of this
earth, and none can stay His hand or stand to Him. Lord God Almighty, what doest
thou? No one could stay his hand. The
hand of Almighty God does all things as he will. In creation, God is sovereign. In providence, God is sovereign. And in salvation, he's sovereign. He will have mercy on whom he
will have mercy. Because our great mediator, the
Lord Jesus Christ, Because of His priestly work and His redeeming
work, the throne of God toward His people is called the throne
of grace. The throne of grace, not the throne of justice toward
His people, His covenant people. It's the throne of grace because
there is therefore now in Christ no condemnation to those who
are in Him. He said, come boldly unto the
throne of grace that you may obtain mercy and find grace to
help in our time of need. Grace originates from His throne. Of His fullness have we all received
grace for grace. His grace is dispensed from His
throne. of Him, and by Him, and through
Him, and to Him are all things to whom be glory. Grace brings
sinners to His throne. No man can come to Me except
the Father which sent Me to draw him. The Lord God Almighty who
occupies His eternal throne of dominion and power is holding
this scroll, the scroll of the book, in His right hand. What
does this book represent? I saw in the right hand of him
that sat on the throne a book, a scroll written within and without,
sealed with seven seals. What does this book represent?
all the eternal immutable decrees of God from the beginning of
time to the end of time. Everything that happens in the
fullness of time, God purposed, decreed, and predestinated from
all eternity. It symbolizes God's eternal purpose
with respect to the entire universe throughout all history concerning
all creatures until eternity. You see, When we look at history,
history is His story. That's what it's all about. Everything
that comes to pass in time, God purposed it from eternity. God rules the universe for the
interest of His church and the glory of His name. Remember in
Isaiah 46, He said, I am God. Beside me there is none other.
There's no other God in heaven or on earth. He said, remember
the former things of old, Isaiah 46, 9. Let me just read it to
you. For I am God, and there is none else. I am God, there
is none like me. God who was God, declaring the
end from the beginning. from ancient times to things
that are not yet done, saying, my counsel will stand, I'll do
all my pleasure. Calling a ravenous bird from
the east, the man that executes my counsel from a far country,
I've spoken it, I've purposed it, I bring it to pass, I purposed
it, I will also, I'll do it. Now, does that sound anything
like a weak and impotent God? That sounds like God who is God. God who is almighty. God who
controls all things for His eternal purpose and glory. Everything
that comes to pass in time, God purposed from eternity. Now,
I can't explain that. But this is what the message
of the book declares. God is God. This book or this
scroll of God's decree was written within and on the backside, that
is inside and out. This means that God's purpose
is full and complete. There's no blank pages here.
There's no emptiness here. It's full. God's purpose and
decree that's full, nothing can be added, nothing can be taken
away. God's eternal purpose is perfect and unchangeable as God
Himself. He never updates His decree. He never changes His decree.
Known unto God are all of His works from the beginning. God's
eternal purpose is not naturally seen or known by sinful creatures. He must teach us that God is
God. Mankind in general is ignorant
of a true and living God. The carnal mind receives not
the things of the Spirit of God. He must take us and turn us upside
down and empty out every false notion we have, strip us, and
then fill us with right knowledge of God. By nature, we're just
dumb. I mean, we're just stupid. We
think salvation is something that we do. If righteousness
is by the law, then why did Christ come? If righteousness and salvation
can be affected by what you do or do not do, well, there's no
need for the Lord Jesus Christ to come and take away our sin
by the sacrifice of himself. If I can take care of my own
sin problem, but I can't. That's why the Lord Jesus Christ
came to accomplish all salvation for us. Now look at verse 2 in
our text. Revelation 5 verse 2. And I saw
a strong angel. Now, all the angels of God, the
elect angels are called. There are those fallen angels.
But all the elect angels of God, John said, I saw a strong one. All of them are strong because
they get their strength from the Lord. They're all ministering
spirit sent forth to minister to them who are the heirs of
salvation. All of God's angels are strong
because they derive their strength and purpose and power from God
Almighty. And he, proclaiming with a loud
voice, with the authority of God Almighty, says this, Who
is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof? This
question was right to John. John, who is worthy? Who is worthy? Who can and who has the ability
to fulfill God's purpose, to reveal God's book of His decrees,
to execute His will and redemption and salvation, to open the decrees
of God, to reveal the decrees of God, to exhibit God's decrees,
and to unseal the book? Who is worthy? Well, we know
the answer, don't we? I'm not worthy. John wasn't worthy. Paul wasn't worthy. No man in
heaven, earth, or hell is worthy to open the book, to accomplish
God's purpose in salvation. We know the answer to that question.
None is worthy but the One appointed of God. Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain to receive all honor, glory, blessings, and power.
And the answer comes back, verse 3, no man. No man, no, you want
no means? No man, person is worthy but
God himself. No man in heaven, no man in earth,
no man under the earth was able to open the book, neither to
look thereon. And John said, I wept much. John
said, I wept much. He knows the importance of this
book of God's decrees being fulfilled because it includes his salvation.
It includes his pardon. And when he sees in his vision
that no man was worthy to open, he began to cry and weep because
no man was found worthy to open the book, to read the book, and
to look thereon. And then he hears the good news.
Look at verse 5. And one of the elders said to me, no need to cry. Here's the good news. No need
to be upset, John. Wipe away your tears, John. One
of the elders said, don't weep. 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. Here's the good news
of the gospel. One of the 24 elders, redeemed
by the blood of Christ, saved by the power of the Lord Jesus
Christ, knew about the victories of the Lamb of God, and said,
John, don't cry, don't despair, don't be cast down, rejoice in
the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice in the
Lord! Our Lord Jesus Christ hath prevailed. He is, I like this description,
He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Judah, you remember Jacob
had 12 sons, remember? And one of those 12 sons was
Judah, the tribe of Judah. Levi was a priestly tribe. Judah
was a kingly tribe. David was of the tribe of Judah. And the Lord Jesus Christ came
from that Kingly tribe, the line of the tribe of Judah. Jacob
when blessing his 12 sons, you can read it in Genesis 49, he
says this of Judah prophesying about the coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ. The scepter shall not depart from Judah. nor the
lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes." Who's Shiloh? The Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Prince of Peace. And unto him shall be the gathering
of the people. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
conquering King. He is the Lion of the tribe of
Judah. He is God our King. He's called
in the Revelation, King of kings and Lord of lords. He's king
by God, the immutable, eternal decree. You remember Psalm 2?
He said, I've set my king upon my holy hill Zion. He's the one
that goes forth conquering and to conquer. So He is our king.
We see His deity here as the king. King of kings. And we also see His humanity.
He is the root of David. He's from the tribe of Judah
and the family of David, son of Jesse. You remember in Isaiah
53, he's called a root out of dry ground? He's the root of
David. He is God the Son and He is the
Son of Man. You remember our study from Romans
chapter 1? He is declared to be the Son
of God. He's made of the seed of David. That's His humanity.
He's declared to be the Son of God. There we see His deity and
His humanity. He's a God-man mediator in one
person. In one person. That's who He
is. And He has to be that to put
away our sin. There's an article on the back
of the bulletin. Don't turn and read it now. But there's an article
on the back of the bulletin declaring the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ
and His humanity. He had to be both God and man. God could not satisfy man. God
could not suffer, man could not satisfy, but the God-man mediator
in one person did both. He satisfied and suffered to
put away our sin. He is our God and Savior who
came to save sinners by the sacrifice of Himself. Don't weep. Don't
weep. Rejoice. Rejoice, the Lord has
come. And He's a victorious Savior.
Did you notice that? He's a victorious Savior. He
has prevailed. He has prevailed. The Lord Jesus
Christ didn't come to attempt to put away sin. He didn't come
with an effort to try to fulfill all the purposes of God. The
Lord Jesus Christ came to fulfill all of God's redemptive purpose
and He has prevailed. You remember Galatians chapter
4? In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, made of a
woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the
law. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. He prevailed to bring
in for us, what? an everlasting, justifying righteousness. Blessed is the man whom the Lord
imputeth righteousness without works. The righteousness the
believer enjoys is Christ himself. His obedience and his faithfulness
is made unto us our righteousness. Therefore, we're no longer going
about to establish the righteousness of our own doing, are we? Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. We
look to the Lord Jesus Christ who has prevailed to bring in
an everlasting righteousness for us. Blessed is that man to
whom God would impute it. The Lord Jesus Christ had prevailed
to execute all of God's purpose. To perform all things for us.
Remember it says of Abraham in Romans chapter 4, of all the
promises God had given, that he was persuaded that all that
God had promised, he is able to perform. He performed all
things for us. Psalm 57, 2. He performed all
things for us. He has prevailed to establish
righteousness. He has prevailed to put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He has prevailed to honor the
Law of God perfectly. He said, I didn't come to destroy
the Law of the Prophet, I came to fulfill the Law. You remember
Isaiah 42 verse 21. The Lord had highly exalted Him
as He magnified the Law of God for us. He cannot fail. to accomplish God's purpose. Isaiah 53 says, the pleasure
of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. Don't you like that? That's good news, isn't it? Don't
weep. We have a Savior. He's the Lion. He's the King. He is the one
Son of God, the Son of David, the greater David, who came to
fulfill all things for us. Look at verse 6. And I beheld,
and I beheld and lo in the midst of the throne, and in the midst
of those four beasts, representing God's gospel servants, preachers
of the gospel, and in the midst of all those elders, in the midst
of those preachers, in the midst of the church of God, His elect,
redeemed with the blood of Christ, there stood a Lamb among them.
a lamb that had been newly slaughtered, had been newly slain. All through
the book of Revelation, the Lord Jesus Christ is seen in His sacrificial
character as the Lamb of God. That's why John, when he sees
the Lord Jesus Christ coming, And he points to the crowd and
says, there he is. That Lamb prophesied, that Lamb
typified in all those animal sacrifices, that Lamb that fulfills
all the purpose of God. There he is! Behold the Lamb
of God. And the next day when he's preaching
again, he says that same message to the same crowd. There he is!
Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away, that beareth away our sin. The Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Turn over here to chapter 13.
You remember this verse? This is said at least two times
in the Revelation. Revelation 13, look at verse
8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. He's the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world in the eternal purpose of God. God had
always purposed to save sinners through the blood sacrifice of
the Lord Jesus Christ. When Adam sinned and fell in
the garden, That didn't upset God's purpose and God's plan.
The fall of Adam and sin was all decreed of God. It all fit
into His eternal purpose that the Lord Jesus Christ might come
and redeem us by His blood. Before Adam sinned, the Lord
Jesus Christ stood as the eternal surety of that covenant of grace. In the midst of the elders stood
a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns, seven eyes,
which are the seven spirits of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is
the God-man mediator, is the lion, and he's the lamb. Think of it. He's the lion and
the lamb. He's both. He's God, our Savior. He's therefore the Lion to conquer
and rule sin. He's the Lamb to make atonement
for our sin. It's who He is that gives eternal
power to what He did. God bought us with His own blood. All through the book of God,
we see the Lamb slain, the Lamb slain, the Lamb slain, the Lamb
slain. Even in Genesis 3. When God gave
that gospel promise, the seed of the woman that would crush
the serpent's head, we see the Lamb of God there as He slays
the animal and covers Adam and Eve, the blood of the sacrifice
to put away our sin. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
Lamb of God. Isaac and Abraham went one day
to worship. God told him to go to Mount Moriah,
you remember Genesis 22. And they traveled for three days
journey and they come near that mountain. And Isaac was taught
that you could not worship God without a blood sacrifice. And
so as they come to the mountain, he looked at his father Abraham
and said, where is the lamb? You have the knife, you have
the wood, you have the fire, where is the lamb? You remember
what Abraham said? My son, God, will provide himself
a lamb for a sacrifice. Little did Isaac know that he
would be that sacrifice, but the Lord stayed Abraham's hand
and provided the substitute, the ram caught in a thicket by
his horns, and sacrificed the substitute in the stead of Isaac. That's the gospel, my friend.
The Lord Jesus Christ is that Lamb of God that takes away our
sin forever and ever. And that symbol there of seven
horns, horn is a symbol of power. Seven is a symbol of completeness.
The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ has complete, total power to
put away all our sin. All the sins of God's people.
Well, how effectual is the blood atonement of Christ? It's so
effectual that God Almighty said their sin and their iniquity,
I remember no more. It's gone. As far as the east
is from the west. He appeared to put away sin by
the sacrifice of himself. The lamb slain from the foundation
of the world, that's our salvation. He has all power. Not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ, it's the power of God. unto salvation. Seven eyes, the seven spirits
of God. He's the almighty God. He's all knowing the Lord, the
foundation. Remember that verse? If I can
think of it, the foundation of God, then sure, having a seal,
the Lord knoweth them that are his. When the Lord Jesus Christ
died for His covenant people, He had on His heart, in His mind,
in His eye, He singed the very elect of God whose sin He is
bearing, whose sin He is putting away with all the power of God.