Worthy Is the Lamb, Revelation 5:1-14
Introduction
Charles of Anjou, King of Hungary, was crowned three times. The first time he was crowned with an emergency crown because the historic crown of St. Stephen was not available. Some people said the value of the crown was not the fact that it had been handed down from St. Stephen but had been consecrated by the pope. So papal envoy Cardinal Gentils consecrated a new bejeweled crown and Charles was crowned a second time. Finally, keepers of the original crown, the crown of St. Stephen, released it and Charles was crowned a third time on August 20, 1310. Our Lord was crowned three times: once with thorns at Golgotha, once at the right hand of God after the ascension, and once when you crowned him Lord of your life. “Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne.”
John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Several years later, in exile on the Island of Patmos, John the Beloved was inspired by God through a vision, the Revelation, to refer to Jesus as the “Lamb” who was slain who is worthy to receive blessing and honor and glory forever.
Unique to the book of Revelation is a reference to Jesus as a Lion, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah; speaking of His messianic kingship. Equally unique to John’s writing is the Greek word arnion, which means “a small or young lamb.” While words translated lamb are used elsewhere in the New Testament, this specific word is used only in Revelation, exclusively of Jesus; twenty seven times.
Transition
This morning, as we continue our walk through the prophecies surrounding the Second Coming of Jesus, we will look at the motif of Jesus as Lamb in the book of Revelation. What does the phrase mean in relation to Christ? How can the phrase Lion and Lamb be used of Jesus in the same book with equal emphasis?
As I said before, it will be my greatest desire to exposit the text and then apply it. Our primary goal in the study of the book of Revelation is not to leave here scholars in the field of biblical eschatology. Our goal will remain, as it has been, and always should be, to discover what the Bible says, on its own terms, and then seek the power of the Holy Spirit to live it out in the context of our daily experience in the here and now of our lives.
Exposition
Jesus, the Lamb of God, will be our focus today. Today we will look at some of the major themes of Jesus as Lamb in the book of Revelation. John’s revelation is packed with the motif of Jesus as Lamb but who is this Lamb? At the outset we must allow John to answer this primary question.
The Vision of the Lamb:
The book of Revelation is primarily about the vision of the Lamb. As John receives his vision from the Angel whom God sent to tell him about the future things, the end of days, the second coming of Christ, the Angel is revealing not primarily the nature and manner of the end of this age; but revealing Christ.
The revelation which john receives is certainly full of information about Christ return but its focus is on the one who is returning, not the return itself. The subtleties of this distinction may seem insignificant at first glance but let’s take a look at a few passages from Revelation concerning Jesus.
In Revelation 1:8 the words of Jesus are recorded as follows, “I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (ESV) Here Jesus, the Lamb, is revealed as being the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is aleph and the last letter is tav.
To ancient Jews to say that something was aleph to tav was to say that it was from beginning to end or “first to last.” This was very similar to our common saying, “from a to z.” the common usage of the Hebrew phrase in relation to God most likely indicates why Jesus uses it of Himself. To John’s early audience, as with much of Jesus says throughout the Gospels, the implication of Jesus claim to deity would not have been lost by any means.
Jesus is saying at the outset of the book of Revelation, the book which reveals the manner of His imminent return to this earth in great glory, I am the beginning and the end, the first and the last, all time is measured by me, all that exists finds its existence in me, all that is so is such because I AM!
Later on in the same chapter the words of Jesus further reveal the true nature of the Lamb. Only a divine and all-powerful conception of Christ is adequate.
In Revelation 1:17-18 it says, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” (ESV) These verses, along with Jesus reassertion of Himself, later in the book of Revelation, as the “Alpha and the Omega” are a strong indication of the true and eternal deity of Jesus Christ.
Dear Saints of God, Jesus is not man from Galilee, He is no mere carpenter’s son from Nazareth; He is the King of the Kings and the Lord of Lords! He is the one who was and yet is to come. These passages, as with all of Scripture affirm the eternally divine nature of Jesus Christ. They assert the reality that God exists eternally in three divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
This very passage coupled with the historic nature of the resurrection confirm the very words of the Jesus when He said, “I and my Father are One.” God is unified, as the Old Testaments saints declared in the shema: Sh’ma Yis’ra’eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad. Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
The revelation of the Lamb, the revelation of Jesus Christ as divine, eternally existent as the Logos, the word of God who was made flesh and dwelt among us is at once a great mystery and not in any way at odds with the monotheism, the unity of the One True God, in any way.
In these passages Jesus echoes the language used of God in Isaiah 44:6. “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Isaiah 44:6 ESV)
The great truth of the revelation of Jesus is that He is the very presence of God in human flesh, Immanuel, God with us. When we behold Jesus we behold the purest expression of compassion known to the universe; we behold the depth of God’s love in that what we could not do for ourselves He did for us!
In our separation and isolation from God through sin and human rebellion, God did not leave us alone. Our Lord, our savior, is not merely a great man or prophet, He is God. The depths of the mystery of this are far too great for even the most imaginative mind to fully comprehend, yet, by simple faith we can know the truth of Christ.
It is a great paradox to consider the weight of eternity in temporal flesh. It our great gift to transcend knowledge about the divine nature of Jesus unto direct and intimate knowledge of the divine nature of Jesus, by faith. Faith, Trust, active belief, is the key that unlocks the divine mystery of the eternal nature of Christ!
Adoration of the Lamb: John reveals the Lamb. He offers to us, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the depth of understanding of who the Lamb is. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world can do so because it is He who has the power to judge and forgive sin; because He is the fullness of God dwelling bodily in human form.
O, the mystery and majesty of Christ, how He is to be adored and worshipped! Another major theme with regard to the general motif of the revelation of the Lamb is that Christ is worthy of adoration. This theme flows directly from the first theme. Christ is worthy of adoration because He is not merely a man, not even a great man or prophet, He is God. As such, He is worthy to be praised.
The price of lambs varies from season to season and farmers listen to the radio farm reports to learn the current price of lambs. The Lamb of God remains priceless, his values never changing. “For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold … but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18 KJV).
In worshipping Christ we ascribe the unsurpassable worth due to His name. In worshipping Christ we are ushered into fellowship with almighty God. At one point in the ministry of Jesus on this earth many of the crowds who followed Him went away, the Bible says, they thought of many of the teachings of Christ as too difficult to bear. They were unwilling to follow after a Lord who required that they give over all of themselves to be His disciples.
When Jesus asked if they would leave too Simon Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68 ESV) Those who fled because the call of God seemed too great missed out on the great truth that it was indeed Jesus who held the keys to heaven, the words of eternal life, because He was indeed worthy of adoration. As the very Logos of God, the eternally existent word of God, the second person of the Trinity, God in human flesh, whatever He spoke was necessarily the words of life; it is the word of God.
The significance of who the Lamb is – who Jesus is – in the book of Revelation and in our lives cannot be overstated. Hear the words again of Revelation 5:9, “And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (ESV)
Jesus is both Lamb and Shepherd. He is the Lamb who was slain and the Good Shepherd who had and continually lays down His life for the sheep. He died on the Cross to cover our sin and He continually offers His life to us that where He is we might also be and that His inheritance as the Son of God might be ours as well.
He gave His life a ransom and He gives life to us freely.
Conclusion
In the life of Dr. Moody Stewart the story is told that, when a boy, he was greatly surprised one day to find all the sheep in the field standing close in a circle with their faces outward. Two foxes had run off with two lambs and the sheep at once drove the lambs together and formed a circle around them for their defense. A gentleman commenting on this story recalls the fact that wild horses and wild deer do that when attacked by wolves. Sheep were probably once quite wild, and in their wild state they were far stronger and braver than they are now. In great danger their original nature rushes upon them and arms them for the defense of their lambs. If the sheep risk their lives for the sake of their lambs, surely the Good Shepherd will defend His own. Again and again He tells us that He laid down His life for the sheep. His sheep were lost in the wilderness, ready to perish, and He went into the wilderness to seek and to save them. And He considers even one sheep well worth saving. He leaves the ninety and nine in the fold, and goes after the one that has strayed. He cares for each as if it were His one ewe lamb.
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away sin. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep and continually gives life to us. Dear Saints of God, today allow the revelation of who Jesus is to take hold of your soul, to grip your heart so firmly that it might no longer be you who ascend to know God but Him who has seized you firmly in the grip of His grace!
Circumstance can sway the heart only casually committed. Nothing can move the heart of the believer away from the Lord worthy of adoration. Amen.
