Worthy is the Lamb

I ask you to open your Bibles
again to the portion of Scripture which Brother Tate read for us.
Revelation, the fifth chapter. I'm speaking tonight on the subject,
Worthy is the Lamb. As Frank read Revelation, chapter
five, I wonder if some of you noticed how many times our Lord
Jesus Christ is called the Lamb. Let's look at it again 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. Notice verse 8. And when he had
taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell
down before the Lamb. And then in verse 12, 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 blessings. And then in the latter part of
verse 13, blessing and honor, glory and power, be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and
ever. the Lamb." Now this is characteristic
of every redeemed person of every age. They all know, and they
all trust, and they all believe in Christ as the Lamb who was
slain for our sins. This is the way of the prophets.
They talk about Christ the Lamb. Isaiah said, He's led as a lamb
before his shearers is dumb. He opened but not his mouth.
This is the way of the apostles, this is the way of the early
church, this is the way of the martyrs, this is the way of the
reformers, this is the way of every believer today. He can
say with the apostles and with the reformers and with the prophets,
worthy is the Lamb, for thou hast redeemed us to God by thy
blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation
and tribe unto heaven worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive all glory and all wisdom and all riches and all strength
and honor and blessings. Go back with me to Abel. Let's
begin with Abel back in the book of Genesis. Where do you see
Abel at his best? The second son of Adam, where
do you see him at his best? And for what is he noted all
the way through the Scriptures when Abel's name is mentioned?
And it's said in Hebrews 11 that he yet speaketh. Being dead,
he yet speaketh. When do you see Abel at his best?
It is when he comes to bring a sacrifice. It is when he comes
alongside his brother, Cain, who brought the fruit of the
fields and the product of his own work. Abel brings the lamb,
which is typical of the Redeemer, and he slays that lamb and puts
the blood on the altar and stands there beside the sacrificed lamb
and prays for forgiveness through the blood, through the substitute. And here you have the first religious
quarrel. Here you have the first religious
argument. Here you have the first conflict
between works and grace. Here you have the first argument
between a man depending upon his own righteousness and one
depending upon the righteousness of another. Here you have the
first argument between one who came in his own strength and
another who came through the blood of the Lamb. And here you
have the first martyr. the first man to die for a religious
cause, the first man to die as a result of a religious conflict,
the first man to die for what he believed, died because he
believed that salvation was by blood, that salvation was by
a Redeemer, that salvation was by a substitute, that salvation
was through the blood of the Lamb. Abel came before the Lord
seeking mercy, seeking forgiveness, seeking grace, and he came seeking
it on the grounds of the blood of Jesus Christ. Then pass on
to Abraham. He's called the man of faith.
Those who believe are called the children of Abraham. Abraham was the man of faith
and his faith suffered severe trial. Abraham endured one trial
after another. What would you say was Abraham's
greatest trial? You go back to the time when
he was over 50 years of age. God came to him and told him
to get out of his father's house and from his home and from his
kindred and go to a land that he would show him. And Abraham
left, believing God. That was a severe trial. And
then when a conflict arose between his herdsmen and lots herdsmen,
and Abraham saw that the land where they were camped would
not take care of all of them, and so he called Lot aside and
he said, Now, we're going to have to part company. We're going
to have to divide. Both of us are just too big to
subsist on the same land, and so tell you what you do. You
pick anything you want, and I'll take what's left. That was a
severe trial. That was a trial of compassion
and a trial of faith. And Lot picked the best land.
He picked the plains, the flat land, and Abraham headed for
the mountains. And then he had a son. It wasn't
the one God promised him, but it was a substitute, Ishmael. But he loved that boy, loved
him very much. He was his son. But God came
to him one day and said, Abraham, the son of the bondwoman Ishmael
cannot live with the son of the promise. They cannot exist together. So you're going to have to tell
Hagar and her son Ishmael, who was then over 16 years of age,
you're going to have to tell them to leave. And I know that
was difficult. That was so hard for Abraham
to do, to stand before that boy whom he had Sired and whom he
had loved and whom he had raised 16 years of age and and say this
is it son I've got to do what God tells me to do so You and
your mother will just have to leave here And he gave him a
bottle of water and sent him away I don't know the full extent
of what they carried with them, but he stood at the tent door
and watched them go That was a terrible trial, but the trial
of all trials was when God came to him again and said, Now, Abraham,
I want you to take that son, Isaac, whom you love, your only
son, and I want you to take a three-day journey to Mount Moriah, and
when you get there, you take that boy and put him on an altar
and tie him to the altar, and then you put a knife through
his heart and shed his blood as a sacrifice for your sin.
And this man Abraham did what God told him to do. He journeyed
to Mount Morav. He suffered through three days
and he suffered through two nights. And then when they came to the
foot of the mountain in this heavy, heavy trial, this trial
of his faith, he told the young men to wait down at the foot
of the mountain and he said, the boy and I will go and sacrifice
and we'll come back. And Abraham picked up the wood
and put it on the back of Isaac like Christ our Lord bore the
cross. He was bearing his own altar.
And he carried the fire in his hand. I don't know how they did
that then, but evidently he had some kind of piece of wood soaked
in oil or something or fat or some way it was burning. But
they started up the mountain and Isaac looked at his dad and
he said, Father, my father, here is the wood. And there's the
fire. But where's the lamb? Where's
the lamb? And the father looked at him,
and I know he must have choked back his tears, but he said this,
and Abraham never uttered a more precious statement. There's not
a more vivid picture of Christ anywhere in the Bible than in
this statement. He said, God will provide Himself
a Lamb. God will provide Himself a Lamb. And so they went on to the top
of the mountain and there as Abraham raised the knife to slay
his son, God said, Abraham, stay thy hand, touch not thy boy. I know now that you love Me.
And he looked around behind him and there was a Lamb. A ram caught
in the thicket and Abraham took that ram and put it on the altar
and slew it in the place of his son. There's substitution, there's
the lamb. Was this not when Abraham saw
Christ's day? Christ said, they said, we're
the children of Abraham. He said, Abraham saw my day and
rejoiced. He saw my day and was glad. No word Abraham, the man of faith,
ever uttered. so vividly summed up his faith,
then that word, my son, God will provide himself a land. Come on down to Egypt and there,
Israel. Israel had been in Egypt, what,
400 years? They were in bondage, they were
in slavery, they were helpless. But God had given the promise
that He would deliver them from their Egyptian taskmasters. God had given them the promise
of a new life in a new land. But there's no deliverance and
there's no going out until what? Until a lamb is slain. And Moses
came to the people of Israel and he said, God's going to pass
through Egypt this night at midnight. And He's going to slay the firstborn
of every home, even the cattle on the hillside. You take a lamb
and shed its blood and strike the blood on the doorposts either
side and on the lintel. And you go inside and wait. And
God said, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. And they
go out of Egypt singing what? Singing the song of Moses and
the lamb. And from that day, every year,
Israel celebrated what they called the Passover feast. Up until
the time our Lord set His face toward the cross and ate the
last Passover with His disciples and from that day established
the Lord's table. Turn to Luke 22. Luke 22. Let's begin reading with verse
14. Now here from the time that Israel left Egypt, from that
great night of deliverance, that night when God passed through
Egypt and slew the firstborn of every family except where
the blood was on the door, from that time every year at this
particular time the people of Israel would sit down with a
lamb They would eat that slain lamb and put the blood on the
altar, and they would eat the Passover feast. Now look at Luke
22, verse 13. And they went and found as He
had said unto them, and they made ready the Passover. And
when the hour was come, He sat down, the Lord Jesus, and the
twelve apostles with Him. And He said to them with desire,
I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For
I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof until it be
fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup and he gave
thanks and said, Take this and divide it among yourselves. For
I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until
the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread and gave thanks
and break it and gave it to them saying, This is my body which
is given for you. This do in remembrance of me.
Likewise also the cup after supper saying, this cup is the new covenant
in my blood which is shed for you. No more Passover feast because
Christ, our Passover, is slain for us. And now turn to 1 Corinthians
chapter 11. And now the people of God, the
true Israel, the people of God come together and they break
the unleavened bread which is symbolic of Christ's body, and
they take the cup, which represents His blood, and they eat as a
memorial feast the Lord's table. Now look, if you will, at 1 Corinthians
11, verse 23. Paul said, I have received of
the Lord that which also I delivered unto you. that the Lord Jesus,
the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and when
He had given thanks, He'd break it. And He said, take, eat, this
is My body, which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of
Me. Now when Israel left Egypt, every year, they would slay that
lamb, and they would sacrifice, or use the blood as a sacrifice
and offering, and then they would eat the flesh. They kept the
Passover every year. They ate the Passover. That's
what our Lord came together with His disciples to do, to eat the
Passover. But from the time He died on
the cross as the Lamb of God who gave His blood, who took
it not into the place made with hands, but into heaven itself,
And He gave His blood to obtain redemption for us. We no longer
sacrifice a lamb and eat its flesh and shed its blood because
the lamb has been slain. But Christ has left us the unleavened
bread and the wine to represent His body and His blood. Now look
at verse 25, After the same manner also He took the cup, when He
had said, saying, This cup is the New Testament in My blood.
This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For
as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show
the Lord's death until he come." It's the Lamb. Worthy is the
Lamb. Abel brought the Lamb. Abraham brought the Lamb. Israel brought the Lamb. Now
go to the tabernacle in the wilderness. There Moses erected a tabernacle
according to God's designs, according to His dimensions, according
to God's plans, and God came and dwelt in the midst of the
people. The presence of the Lord was
manifested in the Holy of Holies, which was separated from the
holy place by that four-inch veil. In the Holy of Holies is
the Ark of the Covenant, which contained within the cup of manna,
Aaron's rod that budded, and the Ten Commandments. And over
the broken log God was a gold mercy seat overshadowed by the
cherubim. Once a year the high priest representing
the people would come into the holy place and go about certain
ordinances and ceremonies, burning of the incense, and then he would
crawl under the veil and come into the presence of God representing
the people and himself, bringing before the Lord an offering,
a sacrifice for the sins of the people and of himself. Once a
year he would come and there on the mercy seat over the broken
law in the presence of God, he would put the blood of the Lamb. Turn to Leviticus chapter 17.
Now, if the Word of God If words can be plain, I want you to listen
to this right here. In Leviticus 17 verse 11, if
words can mean anything, you listen carefully to this. In
Leviticus 17 verse 11, For the life of the flesh is in the blood,
and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement
for your souls. It is the blood, not works, not
human merit, not vows and decisions, it's the blood that maketh atonement
for the soul. It is the blood. That high priest
would come into the presence of God, but not without the blood. He would come before the Lord
to represent the people, but not without the blood. He would
come to pray for forgiveness, but not without the blood. Now,
you can talk all you will of deeds and promises and vows and
works and offs, but come not to God without the blood, for
it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul. The prophet Isaiah
called him the Lamb. And then come down to John the
Baptist, who is said to be the one between the Old Testament
and the New Testament, who is said to be the last of the Old
Testament prophets, John the Baptist. supernaturally born,
supernaturally anointed, supernaturally sent. And of Him, Christ said,
none born of woman is greater than John the Baptist, the forerunner
of the Messiah, the one who is sent to prepare a people for
the Lord. What does He say about the Redeemer? How does He describe the Messiah? What is His Word about our Redeemer? How does He present Him? The
first time He saw Him, what did He call Him? Think about it.
He pointed His finger and He said, Behold, the Lamb of God
that taketh away the sin of the world. You can start back with
the first religious ceremony that is recorded in God's Word.
You can start back with the first offering ever offered. You can
start back with the first martyr. You can start back with the first
conflict. You can start back with the first
record of any man coming to God for forgiveness, and he comes
through the blood. And you can trace it all the
way down through the Scripture, and it is the song of all the
redeemed. Now then, turn back to Revelation
5. And now the other John is writing. It's all over. The glory of heaven
is now revealed. Earth has passed away and melted
with a fervent heat. The dead in Christ are raised.
The victory has been won. Eternity has begun. The redeemed
of all ages are gathered before the throne of God. All tribes,
all nations, all kindreds, all people who have been redeemed,
a number which no man can number, which God described to Abraham
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore. What is
their word? What is their testimony? How
do they see their Lord? Look at Revelation 5 verse 9,
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals. Thereof for thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us to our God kings
and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and
I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the
beast, and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand
times, ten thousands, and thousands, and thousands, saying with a
loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power, riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor,
and glory, and blessing. This is their song. Turn with
me back to Revelation 7 now, verse 9 and 10. Revelation 7.
This is the song of heaven. This is the song of the redeemed.
This is the song of Moses and the Lamb. Revelation 7, verse
9. After this I beheld, and lo,
a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne
and before the Lamb. clothed with white robes and
palms in their hands. And they cried with a loud voice,
saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne,
and to the Lamb." Look down at verse 13, And one of the elders
answered, saying unto me, What are these that are arrayed in
white robes, and whence came they? And I said, Sir, thou knowest.
And he said to me, these are they which came out of great
tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb." Back in Revelation chapter 5, it says
up here in verse 4, I wept much. I wept much. Because no man was
found worthy. And no man is worthy. No man
is worthy to open the book. No man is worthy to read the
book. No man is worthy to look there
on. I am not worthy, this dull tongue repeats it. I am not worthy,
this heart gladly beats it. I am not worthy, the least of
his favors. I am not worthy, the least of
his grace. But Jesus left heaven to die
in my place. What mercy, what love, and what
grace. He's worthy. And he's worthy
for three reasons, and I close. First of all, he is worthy because
of who he is. Verse 5, And one of the elders
said to me, Weep not, weep not. There's one who is worthy. He's
not an angel. He's not a human being. There's
one who's worthy. He is the Lion of the tribe of
Judah. He is the Root of David. He is
the Son of God. He is the Messiah. He is worthy
because of who He is. He is the God-Man. He is the
God-Man. That's the reason His sacrifice
can atone for my sins and all of your sins. That's the reason
His sacrifice can atone for the sins of all men of all ages who
believe on Him because of who He is. He's the Son of God. And then he is worthy because
of what he did. Look again. The Lion of the tribe
of Judah, the Root of David, he hath prevailed. How did he
prevail? He hath died. Thou hast redeemed
us to God by thy blood. By thy blood. He has prevailed. And what did He do? He redeemed
us. He made us kings and priests
to our God, and the righteousness of the Father, and the justice
of the Father is satisfied, and the law of our Father is honored. Now turn to verse 13. And my
friends, worthy is the Lamb is not only the song of the redeemed,
from righteous Abel, to the last sinner that is saved, but worthy
is the Lamb, will be the song of the universe." Look at verse
13, "...and 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, heard I say, Blessing and honor and glory and power
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb,
and unto the Lamb, for ever and for ever." The Apostle Paul said,
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the cross of the Lamb. I am determined, he said,
to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It is the blood of the Lamb that
makes us saints. We wash our robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb. Sainthood begins at Calvary. Forgiveness begins at Calvary. Pardon begins at Calvary. Justification
begins at Calvary. Redemption begins at Calvary. It's the Lamb of God that puts
away saints. The Lamb of God not only makes
us saints, but the Lamb of God keeps us saints. It says we overcome
by the blood of the Lamb. It's the blood of the Lamb that
protected Israel in Egypt, and it's the blood of the Lamb that
protects believers throughout their sojourn on this earth.
And then when all of this is over and we stand before our
living King, the song of the redeemed of all ages, through
all eons of eternity will be, worthy is the Lamb. Worthy is
the Lamb. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we praise
Thy matchless name, that we have learned this song, not just with
our lips, but we have learned it in our hearts. Worthy is the
Lamb. Our Lord came to this earth and
died in our stead. His blood was shed for our sins. And by His blood we are pardoned. By His blood we are forgiven.
By His blood we are made righteous. And we know that throughout life
that we shall continue by thy grace to trust in the Lamb and
praise the Lamb and preach the blood of the Lamb. And grant
by thy grace and for thy glory that we shall stand with the
redeemed of all ages and throughout eternity we shall praise the
Lamb who sitteth upon the throne. Oh, worthy is the Lamb! He alone is worthy to receive
all glory and all praise from all his people. Impress this
message and this word, this gospel of substitution upon the heart
of every person in this building tonight. We pray it for Christ's
sake and in his name. Amen. Let's sing 222. 222. Let's stand,
please. There is a fountain filled with
blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins. And sinners plunge beneath that
flood, lose all their guilt to stay. Lose all their guilty stains
Lose all their guilty stains Beneath that flood Lose all their
guilty stains The dying thief rejoiced to see
that fountain in his day. And there may I, though vile
as he, wash all my sins away. Wash all my sins Wash all my
sins away. Wash all my sins away. And there may I go by the sea. Wash all my sins away.

Worthy is the Lamb

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Worthy is the Lamb

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