Sermon Central
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Worthy Is The Lamb Series
Contributed by Kevin L. Jones on Jul 9, 2013 (message contributor)
Summary: A sermon examining the worship of the Lamb of God.
WORTHY IS THE LAMB
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:
