REVELATION 2012: #5 – JESUS IS THE LION AND THE LAMB
OPENING TEXT: REVIEW FROM LAST WEEK:
• Over the past couple of weeks, we have been studying the Book of Revelation.
“Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Rev. 4:9-11).
• In chapter 4, John saw a door open in Heaven and caught a glimpse of worship.
• Everyone is a worshipper – you choose who you will worship.
• Revelation is about seeing Jesus and being inspired by, trusting & responding to Him.
1. THE SCROLL – THE WORD OF GOD:
“And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.” (Rev. 5:1-4).
• What do we see here? God the Father is seated on the throne (one of our themes).
• In His right hand was a scroll – the Bible.
• Before they had books as they are in their current form, they had scrolls.
• Bible was originally scrolls – long unfolding pieces of paper written on front and back.
• Scriptures come from the hand of God on the throne, not just the human authors.
• This is why the Scriptures are so important and why we value them at our church!
• God speaks, leads, guides, directs, comforts and challenges us through the Scriptures.
• We are to open the Bible, see Jesus, and response to Him with lives of worship.
• For worship to happen, the Bible has to be open. Look for Jesus on every page!
• The Father held the scroll – with all God’s Promises – to love, save, heal and transform us, but no one was worthy to take the Scriptures from His hand and give it to the people.
• As a pastor, John knows how much the people need this, and is therefore devastated.
2. JESUS IS THE LION AND THE LAMB:
“But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” (Rev. 5:5).
• Jesus is The Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:9).
• Jesus is The Root of David (Isaiah 11:1).
• As the strong Lion who has prevailed, He is the Overcomer who has conquered death.
“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.” (Rev. 5:6).
• John saw Jesus as a Lamb as though it had been slain. The Lion and the Lamb.
• “And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36).
• The lamb was seen all throughout the Old Testament as one slaughtered for people’s sins.
• Peter said that we are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:19).
• Jesus is the victorious Lion because He is the Lamb who was slain.
• seven horns (horn in the Bible is a symbol of power) = perfect or complete power
ISAIAH’S PICTURE OF JESUS THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB:
“3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:3-7).
• Why do we worship Jesus? He takes our griefs, sorrows, sins and sicknesses!
“…the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”
• Remember seven is the number of perfection, so here we see the perfect Holy Spirit.
• “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” (John 14:16).
• The Holy Spirit is sent out into the Earth to draw people to Jesus, convict them of their sins, and show them their need for a Saviour. Thank God for the Holy Spirit!
3. OUR RESPONSE TO SEEING JESUS:
“Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Rev. 5:7-8).
A. WORSHIP: “they fell down before the lamb.”
• Why do we worship? He is worthy. Worship = worth-ship. Worthiness of God.
• Jesus is the one who is worthy to execute all of the Promises of God in the Earth.
• Harp = instruments in Heaven. Loud full sounds! This is why we love music so much – there will be awesome music in Heaven. We love worship leaders!
B. PRAYER: “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
• Why do we pray? God answers prayer! If you’re struggling with something, pray.
• “3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.” (Rev. 8:3-5).
• When the bowls in Heaven are full, God tips them over and pours out His blessings!
C. NEW SONGS:
“And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5:9-10).
• Some churches have all their songs in a book. God wants us to sing new songs!
• Song writers – Ken wrote one of our songs from last week.
• Why worship? Jesus loves you – He died for your sins. Don’t neglect this truth!
“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!" 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, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.” (Rev. 5:11-14).
• Here we see a loud explosion of worship in Heaven.
• “Every creature” in Heaven worships Him – there will be animals in Heaven.
QUOTE: “We worship and glorify one and the same God for our creation and for our redemption. We see how the church that began the heavenly anthem, finding heaven and earth join in the concert, closes all with their Amen, and end as they began, with a low prostration before the eternal and everlasting God.” (Matthew Henry).
• CHALLENGE: Jesus is worthy – give Him your life today and live for Him alone!
CLOSING: COMMUNION:
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://pastorchrisjordan.wordpress.com/
