Every Knee Shall Bow

July 13, 2003

Morning Service

Text: Revelation 5:1-14

Subject: Worship

Title: Every Knee Shall Bow and Every Tongue Confess

Worship is an important factor in church growth. Some of the things that attract people to a church are solid preaching and a lively worship service. On the other hand, some of the things that keep people coming to church are solid preaching and a lively worship service. The preaching is my responsibility. The worship is partially mine too, but you as the body of Christ play a huge part in determining if the worship will be lively or not.

There is a story about a church that had a man in the choir who couldn’t sing. Others tried to help him find other places of ministry in the church but he insisted on being in the choir. The choir director became so desperate that he went to the pastor.

“Pastor, you have to do something with brother Jones. If you can’t persuade him to leave the choir then I quit and most of the choir will quit too. Help us!”

The pastor went to the man and suggested that he leave the choir.

“Why should I leave?”

“Several people have told me you can’t sing”

“That’s nothing. Fifty have told me you can’t preach! You are still here.”

Of course, worship has nothing to do with whether you can sing or not. It is about the attitude of your heart.

What is worship? According to A. W. Tozer worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call Our Father Which Are in Heaven.

A.W. Tozer

Today we are going to look at a passage from the future and find out whom it is we worship, why we worship, and how we should worship.

I. Who do we worship? (Verses 1-7)

A. None of God’s creation is worthy. God holds out a scroll that was sealed with seven seals. A strong angel cries out, “”Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” Notice that this scroll is unusual. It is written on the front and the back. In John’s time a scroll that would be copied to sell would only be written one side. However, if it were one’s personal possession, it would likely have writing on both sides. God holds out a scroll that has writing on both sides and is sealed with seven seals. It was God’s possession and had His seal on it. It was a legal document (a testament) and only the testator could break the seal. John stood back and wept because he knew that no one was able to open the scroll. “No one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.” John wept because he knew that if there was no one worth to break the seals, then God’s eternal purpose of judgment and blessing for the world could not be completed.

B. In verse 5 one of the elders has good news. “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” These titles for Jesus the Messiah are an indication that He is the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. Now notice the difference between Jesus the lion and the enemy of your souls. 2nd Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober and vigilant; because your adversary, the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The enemy comes but to kill, steal, and destroy, but the Lion of Judah came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus not only was a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies as far as the Messiah is concerned, He also was the perfect sacrifice to reconcile people to the Father.

C. It took a Lamb to do that work. Verse 6, “and I looked and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” Christ appears here as the sinless Lamb of God. He bore the marks of His death yet as indicated by the seven horns, He was omnipotent (all powerful). He was stained with blood because of the sin of mankind as He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, “yet He opened not His mouth”, but He is omniscient (all knowing) (the seven eyes). He gave up His eternal throne in heaven to come and walk the earth, limited by time and space, yet He is seen as One having the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth (he is omnipresent).