JESUS AT THE CENTER
Rev. 4-5
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: HAVE YOU EVER BEEN FRUSTRATED?
1. Four golfing friends were playing on a difficult course. One man kept placing ball after ball into a pond. At last, he got so frustrated that he picked up his golf bag and heaved it into the middle of the lake, and then started walking toward his car.
2. His friends were speechless. In five minutes, however, he was seen returning. His friends smiled; he had “come to his senses.”
3. He waded out into the lake, fished his dripping bag out, unzipped the side pocket and got his car keys out. Then he flung the golf bag again – even further into the lake than before! Then he went home.
B. THESIS & TITLE
1. Today we’re continuing our series on “What God Says About the Future” part 5. We’re looking at the Book of Revelation chap 4-5.
2. The Book of Revelation is much more than a book of wild visions, it’s full of spiritual truths and can usher you into a new relationship and experience with Jesus!
3. The title of today’s message is “Jesus At The Center.” John’s narrative & vision continued, “...I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice...said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it” Rev. 4:1-2 NIV.
I. 1st SCENE: JOHN’S VISION OF HEAVEN Rev. 4
A. A DOOR WAS OPENED IN HEAVEN.
1. People have always theorized whether there are other dimensions, but the Bible is clear that there are. John saw a DOOR open in a clear-blue sky and he was called up, through the door, into the dimension of 3rd Heaven (God’s throne room). [Another example is Mark 1:10 “he saw heaven being torn open” like a piece of cloth. Instead of a door, it was a rip.]
2. How was it possible for a human to enter Heaven (God’s presence)? It’s impossible – because all humans are sinners; “For ALL have sinned and come short of God’s glory” Rom. 3:23. Psalm 5:4 says, “With You the wicked cannot dwell.” Rev. 21:27 says, “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful.”
3. Then how come there’s a Door to Heaven? DOOR (defined); “a swinging or sliding barrier by which an entry is gained”; “it’s a means of access; an opportunity. The reason there’s a door to Heaven is because...
4. JESUS IS THE DOOR TO HEAVEN. When He died on the Cross, He opened a portal from earth to Heaven. He said, “I am THE WAY, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by Me” Jn. 14:6. In John 10:9 He said, “I AM THE DOOR!” If you want to get to Heaven or to God, you must go through Jesus!
B. JOHN SAW A THRONE SET IN HEAVEN – the seat of honor & power. That throne was not empty, but God Himself filled that seat.
1. He had the “appearance of jasper (diamond – many faceted) and ruby (deep red, signifying justice). A rainbow (seal of the covenant) that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.
2. Around the throne were 24 angelic elders sitting on thrones. There were also 4 huge six-winged angels covered with eyes and burning with holiness, crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts!” There were also 7 columns of fire – the 7 Spirits of God. Plus millions of lesser angels.
3. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. All heaven fell down before God’s might & power!
II. 2nd SCENE: THE SCROLL OF DESTINY Rev. 5
A. THE SACRED SCROLL
1. John saw the God the Father holding a momentous scroll and heard a mighty angel ask with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”
2. No one in the universe was found worthy; the scroll of God’s Destiny could not be opened! All God’s plans for the ages to come would be frustrated. All heaven began to weep.
3. But in that moment of universal failure, One prevailed – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah! John’s glance followed the attention of all heaven to the throne of God and there in the center of that throne appeared the Savior – a wounded, bleeding, yet Victorious Lamb!
B. THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH
1. IDENTITY OF THE LION. Jacob’s prophecy (Gen. 49:9-10), revealed that the lion is the symbol of the tribe of Judah, the kingly (David’s) tribe. Lions symbolize power, fierceness, and majesty; they’re the king of the beasts. And THIS LION is the King of ALL! Jesus is the long-awaited Lion of the tribe of Judah. He has the lion’s heart and the lion’s strength, and He comes forth conquering and to conquer.
2. BUT HE APPEARED AS A LAMB! Who would have believed a Lion would choose to become a Lamb? Yet Jesus became weak before His foes, and suffered as our Substitute. The Lion triumphed because He became a Lamb. He’s worthy because He lived a perfect, sinless life, by dying, He defeated sin and death.
3. What marvelous self-sacrifice that He should die a felon’s death on a cross, be mocked with a crown of thorns, and be spat upon by His subjects. All Heaven & earth wonder and are speechless at the sight of the Lamb!
4. HE TRIUMPHED. Then they shouted, “The Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed.” He defeated the Prince of Darkness; He conquered death; He entered the dungeon of Sheol and released its prisoners. He alone is worthy – He’s Heaven’s hero!
5. He’s greater than the greatest, higher than the highest, because He became lower than the lowest, that He might save to the uttermost them that come to God by Him. Hallelujah!
III. JESUS IS AT THE CENTER OF ALL
TEXT
Rev. 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes.... 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth...saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
A. NOTICE WHO IS AT THE CENTER
1. Jesus the Lamb! (just like the planets circle the Sun). People will never see this world right until they see Jesus at the Center! When He’s in His proper place in our lives, our world will start making sense, working right. Do you want to be blessed? Put Jesus at the Center! Do you want meaning and purpose? Put Jesus at the center.
2. Who can compare with Him? What angel or human can compare with Him? He is “the Lamb.” He humbled Himself to the lowest place to lift us to the highest place! Jesus is the Alpha and Omega; He’s the center. The highest place is not politics, not power, not wealth, not intelligence, nor education!
3. Buddha is not at the center; Mohammed is not at the center; Krishna is not at the center; Moses is not at the center – JESUS is at the center! The angels wait upon His commands. He’s at the highest place (Phip. 2:9). No angel can lift Him higher; no achievement can lift Him higher; not even praise can lift Him higher – He’s already at the “HIGHEST PLACE!” Since Jesus is the center, shouldn’t He be the center of your life?
4. For thousands of years, scientists and philosophers believed in the Geocentric Model of the Universe: Earth was at the center, and the Sun, Moon, & stars all orbited around Earth. It wasn’t until about 1500 A.D. when Copernicus proved that our solar system actually revolved around the sun (Heliocentric). That’s like a lot of people who think everything revolves around them when it actually revolves around Jesus!
5. Since He’s the center, shouldn’t every decision, every word and every thought of yours have Jesus at the center? Shouldn’t your conversations have Jesus as their topic? Shouldn’t your activities have Jesus at their center? Shouldn’t Jesus’ Church be the most important priority of your life?
B. ILLUSTRATION
1. In the days of Napoleon, a soldier was wounded by a bullet, and the doctor probed deep to find it. The man cried out, “Doctor, mind what you are doing! A little deeper and you will touch the Emperor.”
2. The man was saying that the Emperor was on that soldier’s heart. Hopefully, if people look deep enough into your life, they’ll find Jesus! We should have no other name engraved on our heart but that of Jesus.
C. WE LIKE WHAT’S COMFORTABLE
1. Most Christians have grown up with the concept of a “Gentle Jesus, meek & mild.” He’s a Lamb, right? We’ve got Him in a nice theological box that makes Him easy to live with. He’s easy to understand, predictable, and our concepts put Him within limits that we can control. Are you sure about that?
2. In C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” Susan and Mr. Beaver were talking about Aslan, the great Lion who ruled Narnia. Susan said, "Oh! I thought he was a man. Is he -- quite safe?" "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver, "Who said anything about safe? Of course he’s not safe, but he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”
3. Come on Church! How big is your God? Is your God just a block of wood you can haul around; it can't hear or see?
4. NOT ME! My God is the Maker of the Stars; He causes the Wind to blow and the Sun to shine, He orders the future and has all power and infinite resources.
5. If your God is small, He won't ask much of you -- just to visit church occasionally, and not sin greatly. But you can't expect much from Him, either.
6. BUT IF YOUR GOD, IS THE LIVING GOD, THE GOD OF MOSES AND ELIJAH --
a. He may tell you to part an ocean, to raise someone from the dead, or to walk on water, or to open someone's eyes.
b. But the flipside is, you can expect great things from Him too! [He’ll Fellowship with you, walk with you, converse with you, meet all your needs, etc.]
D. IT’S TIME TO LET GOD BE SUPERSIZED!
1. A while back I went to McDonald's and ordered a value meal. The cashier asked me if I wanted to supersize my order – that is, make it bigger.
2. I told him no; I just wanted my regular-sized order. He asked me again if I was sure I didn't want my order supersized. I told him no thank you; I got my regular-sized order, and drove off.
3. Too many Christians just want a regular-sized life, a regular-sized future and a regular-sized God. But God is offering to supersize it for you, if you’ll let Him. (Tony Evan’s Book of Illustrations, #9)
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION “When God Showed Himself Bigger”
1. In December 1986, I was driving a gasoline truck with 2,500 gallons of gas in the tanks. A drunk driver turned across the road and stopped in front of me. I hit him.
2. My truck rolled over, causing my fuel tank to bust. I found myself in a river of burning gasoline, trying to find a way out of my smashed truck. There seemed to be no way out.
3. [When] I realized I was going to die, a strange kind of peace came over me. I began to think of my wife and two small boys. What would they do without me?
4. But I was powerless against what was happening to me. I had lost my breath, and by automatic reaction, my body took a breath of flames.
5. Within seconds of sure death, I said in my heart and mind, "God, please don't let me die." That is when my miracle took place.
6. The flames parted. There was fresh air for me to breath. It was incredible. Later, I learned that the flames were reported by bystanders to be 80-100 feet high.
7. Yet, in the midst of all this, there was a path through raw gasoline that did not burn until I was cleared of the wreckage.
8. God is waiting for you [to] call out to him like I did. He heard me that day. He will hear you too. [Will's Miracle Story http://christianity.about.com/od/miraculousintervention/a/miraclestory.htm]
B. THE CALL
1. How many of you want to serve a big God? How many want to put Jesus at the center of your lives? To know the God who’s beyond our control?
2. The only way to get on God’s fast-track is to repent of poor choices, intercede, do warfare with the enemy and stand on the Word.
3. Salvation Call. Let’s stand and claim the life God wants us to have! Prayer.
