TITLE: Have you met the Lion?
TEXT: Revelation 5:5
Through the years there have been a number of famous lions on television and in the movies.
• Leo debuted on July 31, 1928 as the MGM lion mascot seen at the beginning of every MGM feature film.
• In the film adaptation The Wizard of Oz (1939) which has been re-run on television over the years, actor Bert Lahr portrayed the cowardly lion and sang his now famous rendition of "If I Were the King of The For-r-r-r-est!"
• Elsa was made famous by the book Born Free in 1960. There followed two films, one in 1965 and a sequel in 1972.
• Kitty Kat was a full-grown African lion on the sitcom The Addams Family, which aired from 1964-66.
• Linus the Lion-hearted premiered on CBS-TV in September of 1964. Linus the Lion-hearted started out as a product symbol for General Foods’ POST Crispy Critters cereal, but made the leap to big-time television with his own show when General Foods realized how popular the docile king of the jungle turned out to be with youngsters.
• Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion was a silly looking lion seen on the adventure series Daktari, from 1966-69.(1)
In more recent years we would have to include Simba and Mufasa from The Lion King cartoons. Now we would also include Aslan from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Even though the television and cartoon counterparts are often friendly, in real life lions are not noted for compassion. The lion has always been a symbol of royalty and strength.
The lion is found both literally and figuratively in the Bible. This morning we will look at the lion as a figure of Christ.
READ TEXT:
INTRODUCTION:
In the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 49:9-10, Jacob who is called Israel is about to die and pronounces the blessings on his 12 sons where he pronounces God’s view of their future.
In speaking about his oldest son, Judah, he says,
“9 You are a lion’s cub, O Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his”
Of course, this didn’t take place in Judah’s lifetime, or even for a thousand years, but it’s a prophecy about the coming Messiah.
In the last book of the Bible, in Revelation 5:5, we see a reference from the other end of time. The apostle John is on the island of Patmos, and God shows him a picture of the end of time in the spiritual realm. John has seen the lampstands that represent the churches, he has come before the throne of God, and now he realizes that the scroll that will declare the end of the age is in the hand of God, but John is so focused on the glory and majesty around him that he can’t see anyone who can open the scroll.
Just as we become so focused on what we see happening around us that we lose sight of Jesus, John could not see the Lord because of the commotion. Then we see in Rev. 5:5 where John writes:
Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne…”
Then John continues with a description of the Lamb. This is part of the great dichotomy of God’s plan. The Lion of Judah appears as a Lamb that was slain. The King who came to rule the universe was born as a baby in poverty.
This lion comes in weakness.
I. The Lion comes in weakness
Jesus as a baby is not an example of strength and courage when the shepherds meet him.
A. Shepherds meet him
The shepherds were living and working in the nearby fields, keeping watch over their flocks, when an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and said, “ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” A few moments later a great host of angels appeared and were praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels left the shepherds “hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” “The Lion of Judah” that they saw was a “cub”, yet we know their lives were changed as “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”
After the shepherds meet him, the Magi meet him.
B. Magi meet him
The Magi came from the east expecting the king of the Jews to be born in the capital city of Jerusalem. King Herod found out from the chief priests and teachers of the law that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem.
They quoted a prophecy from Micah 5:2 which said, “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”
The Magi went on their way and “coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.” “The visit of the Magi is an indication that the Gentiles will someday worship the King when the kingdom is set up on earth (Isa. 60:6).”(2)
They bowed down and worshipped a baby. The King of the universe was still a baby in the arms of his earthly parents. This lion of Judah still had to grow.
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe the children meet him.
C. Children meet him
They don’t meet the real Christ as do the shepherds and the Magi, but these fictional children meet Aslan the lion who represents Christ.
The text says.
"Aslan stood in the center of a crowd of creatures who had grouped themselves round him in the shape of a half-moon. . . . the children did not know what to do or say when they saw him. People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had ever thought so, they were cured of it now. For when they tried to look at Aslan’s face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn’t look at him and went away trembly."(3)
When the children looked into his eyes, “they found they couldn’t look at him and went away trembly.” This sounds like Hosea 11:10 where it says, “They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west.” How much is this like the shepherds or the Magi when they looked into the eyes of baby Jesus? Everyone who meets Jesus is transformed; their lives are changed.
This applies to our lives as well when we meet him.
D. We meet him
Everyone will one day meet Jesus. The question is, “When?” You can meet Jesus as a baby in a manger at Christmas. You can meet him on the cross, or you can meet him as the Lion of Judah – the final judge of all mankind.
When we look to Jesus we will see our own sin. When Edmund first hears the name Aslan he “feels a stab of horror. This name brings out each child’s nature. The other children respond to Aslan with joy, but Edmund, the sinner, draws back in fear.”(4)
Last week’s Family Circus says it all, as it shows one of the children before the throne of God and then before the baby Jesus. He says to his mother, “It’s a lot easier to pray to a baby Jesus.”
The difference is in understanding who Jesus is and what he has done. This begins with understanding that the Lion submitted to sacrifice.
II. The Lion submitted to sacrifice
Jesus entered the world without fanfare, lived a life of innocence, suffered and died as the perfect sacrifice. A lion is at the top of the food chain, and has very few natural predators. A lamb is considered a sacrificial animal, but a lion would not be considered for a normal sacrifice. Yet Jesus came into the world for the purpose of becoming a sacrifice.
It is his personal sacrifice that saves us from our sins. Hebrews 9:22 declares, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Hebrews 13:12 continues the thought as it says, “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.”
Just as only Jesus can save us from the power of sin, only Aslan was able to save Narnia from the power of the White Witch and the effects of winter, as Aslan went willingly to his death at the hands of the White Witch. In the land of Narnia, death itself began to work backwards.
The risen Aslan would breathe on the statues made by the White Witch, and they came back to life. In the same way, when Christ breathes a breath of life into us we become spiritually alive.
When Jesus died, he broke the curse of sin that Satan had on mankind. It was through his willingness to submit to sacrifice that we can be saved. Jesus is the victorious Lion of Judah.
The Lion not only submitted to sacrifice, but the Lion rules with holiness.
III. The Lion rules with holiness
Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8 both say, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty.” As much as God is also, love, grace, mercy, just, eternal, or any other characteristic this is the only attribute of God that is emphasized in this way because this is His central attribute.
To be holy means to be separate or set apart, not ordinary. God is separate from us. He is in a class by Himself. Sin has no affect on him. God by his very nature is holy. David DeSilva states, “Something ‘holy’ is beyond the sphere of the ordinary; it is whole, complete, and perfect, and therefore stands out as something ‘other’ and awe-inspiring.”(5)
C. S. Lewis tried to bring this same holiness trait into the character of Aslan. When the children learn about Aslan from Mr. Beaver, they learn that he is a lion, and Susan and Lucy both ask, “Is he – quite safe?” To which Mr. Beaver replies, “Safe? . . . Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.’”
Last, we see the Lion conquers.
IV. The Lion conquers
Jesus came into the world as a mere baby, and grew into a normal man, ordinary in all respects, except that the power of God was hidden inside him. This power appeared at times when God was glorified.
Mark 3:11 tells that “Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‘You are the Son of God.’” When Jesus calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee, Mark 4:41 records that “[the disciples] were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’”
The greatest victory that Jesus claimed was when He conquered death.
A. He conquers death
Revelation 5:5 declares, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Now we can declare with the apostle Paul, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
In conquering death, we also see that he conquered Satan.
B. He conquers Satan
Jesus conquered Satan, but this was illustrated by Lewis when Aslan and the army of Narnia defeated the White Witch. For a time, after Aslan was sacrificed at the Stone Table, the White Witch was able to attack the people of Narnia. But her days were numbered as she could not stand up to Aslan.
We are now living in that same kind of situation. Jesus is alive and will soon return for the final battle. Satan’s fate is sealed, but he is still directing his final assault. We can stand against him because we know he is a defeated foe.
CONCLUSION:
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe the breath of Aslan brought life to those frozen into stone. As we gather this morning to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Christ, we need to ask ourselves if we are spiritually frozen, or if we have allowed the Spirit of God to breathe on us. Have you experienced his breath of life upon you today?
But there is a rumor circulating around Narnia. A rumor of hope. We have hope today because Christ is born. This child who is to be declared the Lion of Judah.
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a phrase that is used is, “Aslan is on the move!” The mere mention of the name of Aslan the lion, the true King of Narnia causes joy to well up in the hearts of many. At the same time the name brings fear in the hearts of those loyal to the White Witch.
How do you respond to the name Jesus?
Have you met the lion as a cub?
Do you understand his sacrifice?
Do you know his holiness?
Are you ready for his final conquest?
Do you know the Lion?
If you need to make a decision this morning, you can do so as we sing #270, “Joy to the World.”
Psalm 93:1 proclaims, “The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty. Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength.” The Lord is king! Because the Lion of Judah is victorious, we can celebrate Christmas.
Let’s stand as we sing, “Joy to World.”
(1) http://petcaretips.net/famous_lions_tv.html
(2)Wiersbe, W. W. 1997, c1992. Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament. Victor Books: Wheaton, Ill.
(3)C. S. Lewis. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. (Harper Trophy, 1978), 138-140.
(4)Gene Veith. The Soul of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor Books, 2005), 66
(5)DeSilva, David A. An Introduction to the New Testament. Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity, 2004), 114.
