WORTHY IS THE LAMB
Revelation 5:1-14
Some 60 years after His’ death, burial and resurrection, Jesus appeared to His servant John on the Isle of Patmos. John said, “when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.” Following this Jesus placed His right hand on John and said, “fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:17)
Today, almost 2,000 years after His death, Jesus is still alive, and He is still making His presence known in the hearts and lives of people all over the world. Not only do we have the assurance that He is alive, we cling to the promise that He is coming back for us one day. Soon after His return, we will experience a time of worship that words cannot describe.
In this life we worship in spirit, but on that day we will see our Savior face to face. When we enter into His presence we will bow and worship our King. Revelation 4 paints an amazing picture of the throne room of God. John heard a voice like a trumpet that said “Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter”. When he was taken up, John saw some amazing things.
John saw God on His throne, he saw the 24 elders who are around the throne, he saw the power that comes from the throne, and he saw the peace that surrounds the throne. John also witnessed an amazing display of worship around the throne of God. He describes four beasts who are engaged in the ministry of praising the Lord. He says:
“and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within…” (v6-8)
Verse 8 tells us that these beings “rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come”. These creatures continually lift their voices and praise God for His holiness and they will do so for all of eternity. The 24 Elders also fell before the throne and worshipped the Lord, casting their crowns at His feet.
v10 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: 11“Youu are worthy, Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
One day all of the redeemed of God will humbly bow before the Lord, and we will sing praises unto the Lord. When we see Him we will be overwhelmed by the fact that He loved us, saved us by His grace, sanctified us and equipped us to serve Him.
Jesus is the source of all that we have, and He deserves all the glory, honor & praise. When we bow in His presence, we will praise Him for who He is and for all that He has done. This leads us to one of the most amazing moments in the Bible; in fact it is one of the most amazing moments in all of eternity.
John saw a scroll in the “right hand of the One who sits on the throne”; this scroll is “sealed with 7 seals”. An Angel asked, “who is worthy to open the book; who can loosen its seals?” No one in Heaven, on the Earth or under the Earth was “worthy to open the Book” This news was devastating to John, and it caused him to weep.
Then one of the elders said unto him “Do not weep: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals”. When John turned around, he saw an amazing sight, “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, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth”. The Lamb then took the book out of the hand of the One who sits on the throne, for He was the only One worthy to loosen the seals. The “Lamb” that is pictured here is none other that the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice what happens when He takes the scroll:
v8 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. 9 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, 10b And have made 4 us kings 5 and priests to our God; And 6we shall reign on the earth.”
This is a picture of the worship service of the ages! I want to examine this passage and see some of the reasons that the 24 Elders were praising Jesus. In doing so we will see why we will praise Him throughout eternity. Furthermore, we will see why we should praise Him each and every day of our lives! Let’s look to the text and consider the thought “Worthy Is The Lamb”
The title “Lamb of God” (Latin Agnus Dei) appears in the Gospel of John, with the exclamation of John the Baptist "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". Here in our selected text one of the Elders points John the Apostle to the “Lamb that was slain”. Those of us who are redeemed have the assurance that one day we to will “behold the Lamb”! When we see Him, we will worship Him for He is worthy! Notice in verses 1-5:
THE LAMB IS WORTHY BECAUSE OF HIS SOVEREIGNTY
John saw a “scroll” in the right hand of God the Father. This scroll was sealed with seven seals. I would imagine by this point John is overwhelmed at all that he has seen; he has been taken from the pain and persecution of this life into the very throne room of God. He has seen Angels, Elders, and unknown beasts. He has seen God on His throne and all the amazing sights that surround that throne. Without a doubt this was a time of reverence, fear and awe but I’m sure it was a time of unspeakable joy. But now there is a dilemma; the scroll was sealed and there was a search for one who was able to loosen the seals. No one was found worthy to open the scroll. The Angels were not worthy; (even the Archangels were not worthy). The Prophets of old were not worthy. The Lord’s own Apostles were not worthy. Among all of the saints in Heaven, and every being on earth and even under the earth, no one was worthy to break the seals of this scroll.
John says, “I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon”. But then, one of the Elders said, “wait a minute John, there is one who is worthy”! He said “one has prevailed”. In the original language the word is “conquered”, there was one in Heaven who had “gained the victory”.
Jesus is worthy because He has secured the victory over all of the powers of darkness. His power, His victory and His sovereignty gives Him the power and the ability to break the seals of the scroll. Jesus is able to break the seals because of His power and He is worthy to be praised because of His power.
We have been transformed, redeemed, and sanctified by His power. We are saved and secure because of His power. We dare not wait until we get to Heaven to praise Him. We should praise the Lamb here and now because He is worthy.
- The Lamb is worthy because of His sovereignty, and as we continue to verse 5 we will see that:
THE LAMB IS WORTHY BECAUSE OF HIS SINLESSNESS
v5 one of the elders said to me, do not weep: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals
God’s Word tells us that Jesus was “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). Satan tempted Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11, hoping that He would fail; but He didn’t. Jesus faced the temptation of the evil one and He remained sinless. Now the Elder states that “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David…hath prevailed”. The Lamb not only prevailed to open the book, He has prevailed over sin. Jesus conquered our sin at Calvary!
Earlier, John said that he saw a Lamb but now the Elder describes Him as the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”. In Genesis 49, the Jews are promised that a great ruler will arise out of Judah. Like a lion, He will be powerful, strong, brave, and a mighty conqueror.
When Jesus arrived the Jewish people rejected Him. (John 1:11 “He came unto His own & His own did not receive Him”) The Jews did not see Him as “The Lion of The Tribe Of Judah” nor the “Root Of David”. They rejected Jesus as Messiah; the refused to believe that He was the sinless sacrifice that God sent to redeem mankind. If Jesus had not been sinless, He wouldn’t have been the Messiah. If He had not been the Messiah, He would not be worthy to open the seals of the scroll. If He was not the sinless Messiah then we remain lost in our sins. But we can rest in the fact that He is indeed “the root of David” and “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”!
Jesus is the Messiah; He is the Lamb that was slain and He is our Lord & Savior. For these and many other reasons He is worthy to be praised! The Lamb is worthy because of His sovereignty and His sinlessness, furthermore:
THE LAMB IS WORTHY BECAUSE OF HIS SUBMISSION
v6 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.
John saw “a Lamb that had been slain”. As the Lamb of God, Jesus was willing to become the sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 3:16 “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.”). The Elder told John to behold the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”. John was likely expecting a mighty conquering lion, but when he turned around he saw a lamb.
In Exodus 12, the people of Israel were instructed to select a perfect lamb, one without blemish and without spot. They were to take that lamb into their home and nourish it and care for it for a number of days. During that time that little lamb would become like a pet to that family. After a certain period of time they were to take the lamb and kill it; apply its blood to the doorposts of their home and then roast the body and eat it. If the people obeyed this command, they would be spared when the Lord came to judge the Egyptians.
The Passover lamb was a picture of how God would judge His only Son at Calvary. Christ came as a submissive lamb into a world that would hate, reject & crucify Him. The Lamb of God was slain so that we might live. Jesus was submissive to the will of the Father. He willingly laid down His life for us, for this reason He is worthy to be praised.
- The Lamb is worthy because of His submission and intertwined with that reality is the fact that:
THE LAMB IS WORTHY BECAUSE OF HIS SACRIFICE
John states that this Lamb appeared as “it had been slain”. We must never forget that the Lamb was slain, and He was slain on our behalf. Isaiah said Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Jesus took on a robe of human flesh and came to earth. He lived a sinless life, taught with authority, performed many miracles, and changed countless lives. He was betrayed by a friend, seized, arrested and falsely tried. Then He was beaten, mocked, stripped, spat upon and scourged. Following this He was nailed to a cross and crucified. For six hours he faced excruciating pain and when all things were accomplished He died for you and me. This is why the “Lamb” in verse 6 still bears the marks of having been slain.
When we see Jesus in Heaven, we will see the marks of His suffering and His sacrifice. For all eternity, Jesus will bear the wounds of the cross as a constant reminder of what He did for us. When we see Him, we will see His love on permanent display, and we will cry worthy is the Lamb!
Jesus is the “Lamb that was slain”, He has secured the victory, He has prevailed. Through His sacrifice at Calvary Jesus conquered sin, death, Hell, and the grave. Because of His sacrifice, Jesus is worthy break the seals of the scroll. Because of His sacrifice, the Lamb is worthy to be praised.
- This leads us to the fact that:
THE LAMB IS WORTHY BECAUSE OF HIS SUCCESS
v9 And they sung a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And have made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
The Lamb that was once “slain” is now “standing”. Jesus is not in some dirty old manger, He is not walking down a dusty road in Galilee, He is not hanging in agony and shame on a Cross, He is not lying in some cold sealed tomb; the Lamb is “standing” in Heaven. God’s Lamb is right where He deserves to be, He is glorified and exalted in Heaven.
When Jesus’ work was completed, He ascended and “sat down” at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus sat down because His work of redeeming sinners was complete. Now the “Lamb” is standing, and this is because His work of delivering the earth is about to begin. Jesus secured the victory over death, Hell and the grave and He defeated sin and Satan at Calvary.
Satan may have thought that he defeated Jesus when He died on the cross. Perhaps he celebrated as the broken, bleeding, body of Jesus was removed from the cross and placed in the tomb. But what Satan thought was his greatest victory turned out to be his greatest defeat. On Resurrection morning Christ rose from the Tomb to live forever more. Because of the success of the Lamb we have the hope of eternal life!
Never forget that the Lamb was slain for you. Jesus suffered and died so that you could live eternally. I hope that you have repented and believed in Him for salvation, I pray that if you have not, that you will surrender to Him as Lord of your life. If you have, then you can rest assured that you will be part of this worship service in Heaven. You can join in with the redeemed of the ages as we sing "worthy is the Lamb".
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