Great Is Thy Faithfullness

JESUS THE LAMB AND THE LION

Text: Revelation 5:4-12

Introduction

1. 60 years!

2. Pause.

3. It seemed hard to believe. But, it had been 60 years since that fateful day When John the son on Zebedee a man who ran a fishing business on the Sea of Galilee had first been called by Jesus to be one of his twelve apostles.

Matthew 4:18-22 (ESV) 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

4. Who would have ever guessed that it would last more than 60 years?

5. The apostle John is between 85 and 95 now as be begins to write what would become 1st John.

6. His brother James had been the first apostle to be martyred. The Apostles were all gone now except for him and persecution was moving his way.

7. How does he begin what, for all he knows could be the last inspired letter the be added to the Holy Bible?

8. We know the purpose of his letter.

1 John 1:4 (ESV) 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

1 John 2:1 (ESV) 1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 John 5:13 (ESV) 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

9. How can the people he is writing to know for sure?

10. Persecution is on the rise.

11. John will be imprisoned in a cave on the island of Patmos.

12. The events of Jesus’ life happened 60 years ago.

13. And so He picks up his quill and begins to offer courage and bravery for challenging times.

Discussion:

I. The Basis of our confidence

A. Open your Bibles and read along with me.

B. Exposition of 1 John 1:1-10

C. He is saying you have not seen him but you have the eye witness testimony of the Apostles who died standing for the truth of their thestimon.

D. I John Walked the dusty roads of Palestine.

II. Jesus the Lamb of God.

A. I saw him the Lamb of God

Revelation 5:12 (ESV) 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

B. I saw the Lamb of God:

1. Bless the little children

2. Cleanse the Lepers

3. Heal the sick

4. Weep at the grave side of friend Lazarus as he saw the sisters mourn.

5. Raise the dead

6. Submit to a mockery of a trial, the humiliation and death of the cross to die a lamb slain for our sins.

III. Jesus the Lion of Judah

A. Jesus is not just the Meek Lamb of God.

B. There was another side to him.

C. Jesus was not the weak almost effeminate person pictured by so many artists.

D. He labored for the first 30 years of his life as a carpenter.

E. Ancient artist rederings of carpenters depicted them as men with powerful builds

F. Carpentry was no occupation for a girly man.

1. This was in an age when there were now power tools,

2. There was no electricity, battery packs, no steam power, no 2 cycle engines,.

3. The hammers the awls, the adses the hand planes all required great stengthe and stamina.

G. John said I saw the Lion of Judah:

1. Silence the scoffers and scholars

2. Stand down the political leaders and call them hypocrites.

3. Fashion a whip and run the money changers out of the Temple – not once but twice.

4. Of his own free will submit to a scourging that frequently killed week men.

H. I saw the earth quake that the rocks rend ad he crushed the Devils head and tore open the gates of Hades and ascended to heaven.

I. I saw him seated at the right hand of the God of heaven.

J. I saw him through the eye of prophecy sitting on the throne of judgment as strong men threw themselves prostrate before him in terror confessing to late the Jesus is more than a lamb he is the kings and the lord of Lords.