A Worship Service Out of This World! (#10) - October 21, 2020

if you've been a christian very long there have been times when you've been in a worship service where you felt that heaven came down where you felt the presence of god unlike other services that seem more routine and customary there are exceptional moments when we can say god met with us when i reflect on services like that i can get very nostalgic because it's in services like that where god moves where lives are changed where you know that when you leave you'll never be the same again and it's one of the reasons why we as christians value getting together and worshipping and why there's such an emptiness in our hearts when we're not able to do that as we've been for the last seven months if you can believe it but tonight what i want us to do is to take a trip to heaven and i want us to be included in on what i'm calling a worship service out of this world and i want you to open to revelation chapter 5 if you will revelation chapter 5 which is really a continuation of what we studied in chapter 4 which was john being transported with his continuation of this out of body experience not just beyond the universe and not just into heaven itself but into the very throne room of almighty god and as we saw in chapter 4 he described what was going on around god's throne as there were continual pronouncements of worship and now as we move across this threshold into chapter five the service intensifies and what we're going to do is we're going to look at several key components of this worship service that is out of this world in revelation chapter 5 and the first thing that we're going to notice is once again we're going to notice the throne of god so if you're writing notes write down the throne it was god's throne and i want to speak to begin reading in verse 1 of chapter 5 where john says and i saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back it was written as well and it was 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 so i want us to think about god's throne just from verses one and two and again it reaches back into the fourth chapter where john was already before god's throne and he was describing for us what he saw taking place god's throne is definitely the focus of john's vision the scene is heaven but the focus is god seated on his throne and in chapter four the cries were holy holy holy is the lord god almighty and worthy are you because you have created all things holy and worthy are the cries of the worshipers around the throne of god remember there were the four living creatures with different faces each of them had and then in addition to the four living creatures there was that circle of the 24 elders who represent those who've been redeemed to god so here we have the throne of god as the center of john's vision but here's the second thing i want us to focus on is the scroll there is a scroll which was a piece of parchment that had been rolled into a cylindrical shape and this scroll was being grasped it was seen as being held in god's right hand and so this was described by john there in verse 1 as we read it and being in god's right hand it's a reminder that that god on his throne was not described in chapter 4 with what we called anthropomorphic language remember when god who is spirit is described as having human features that is called an anthropomorphism was simply spoken of as spirit in chapter four but there's a transition in chapter five where we see god holding something in his right hand so that is anthropomorphic language meaning in the form of a man so here is god grasping something and it's called a scroll god is holding the scroll in his right hand and john tells us in verse number one that he could tell that within the circle of that scroll there was writing on the inside but there was also writing on the outside of the scroll that had been rolled up and did you see he said that the scroll had been sealed shut with seven wax seals now it was not uncommon in that day and time for legal documents and other kinds of parchment that had writing and formal agreements to be rolled into a cylinder and to be closed where the seam would be on the scroll to be sealed with hot wax that would dry and would form a bond keeping the scroll rolled and intact in roman law it was required that formal wills for people who were bequeathing their estate would be written on paper rolled into a scroll and sealed with seven seals so here we have this scroll that is held in god's right hand it is sealed shut with seven seals and remember we'll find the number seven throughout the book of revelation so this scroll is sealed with seven which is the number of totality and completion and it is this these seven seals which will comprise the first set of judgments in the tribulation period that we're going to read about in the remainder of this book so i want you to think about what john is seeing he's in the throne room of god and he sees in god's right hand a scroll that had been bound up and it had been sealed with seven hot wax seals which had now cooled and were keeping the scroll bound and it is as these seals are broken one at a time that the first series of judgments are going to ensue in the tribulation just to give you a little foretaste of the sequences of the judgments that will come in the book of revelation i want you to notice on the screen the first series will be the seven seals that bind the scroll shut each of those will be broken and a corresponding judgment will fall to the earth and then after the seven seals that that are broken from the scroll there will be the sounding of seven trumpets in succession after the sounding of of each of which there will be a judgment on the earth and then after the seven trumpets are sounded the final series of seven judgments will be the bowl judgments where bowls of wrath are poured out one at a time until all seven bowls have been poured from heaven down on the earth so that's just to give you a little idea we're now seeing depicted symbolically this scroll bound with seven seals and those seven seals will be the seven judgments of the first set of judgments in the book of revelation so what in the world is this scroll well we're not really told what the scroll is perhaps it is a scroll of destiny and that once it is unfolded once it is unrolled it will describe the secret decrees of almighty god perhaps it is written inside this scroll an outline of the final destiny of the world that's certainly what's going to happen in the book of revelation but we're just not told what the contents of the scroll are we're just told that is sealed with seven seals some scholars have suggested that this scroll that is in the right hand of god as he is seated on his throne that this scroll is the title deed to planet earth that it is the reminder that the earth belongs to god because he created it we're not sure the contents of the scroll but the question is who is worthy to approach god's throne and to take that scroll from out of god's right hand now it's interesting because this could have all been answered without the suspense and the drama of the question going out who is worthy but god didn't choose for this drama to be scripted that way it was god's will that this be a divinely orchestrated and scripted drama of suspense that is the question is who is worthy to approach god's throne and to take that scroll from out of god's hand that there would be a silence an intentional silence where god wanted there to be silence in order for the effect of the silence to sink in to everyone who was witnessing what was going on and this silence builds this momentum as if to say the fate of the world and the universe hinge upon the question being answered who is worthy to take the scroll from him who sits on the throne now what i believe is that this was god's way in a dramatic fashion of setting the stage for his glorified and exalted exalted son jesus to be declared as the only worthy one in other words i believe this is god's way of scripting an enactment or a re-enactment of the words that the father spoke over the son at his baptism when jesus earthly ministry began do you remember those words this is my beloved son in whom i'm well pleased this is one of those moments when the father is wanting this pause this deafening silence while a search is underway to find someone worthy enough to approach the throne and take the scroll god wants the silence to make way for the big reveal of his son who alone is is worthy to take the scroll so we've looked at the throne of god we looked at the scroll in the hand of god now the third focus is on the lion and i want you to write that down the lion the lion is the king of all beasts and in this chapter the lion is declared as having prevailed in conflict he is the victor in the battle that he fought so the imagine this the throne in heaven god on the throne scroll in his right hand who is worthy to approach god's throne and to remove the scroll from god's hand and in verse number 3 of chapter 5 it says that no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look at it and john says so i wept much because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or even to to look at it so when when he tells us there that this search was conducted he says that the search took place in heaven the search took place on earth and the search took place under the earth and this is a collective phrase used in scripture to mean throughout the entire universe i would call that a pretty comprehensive search wouldn't you and that in all of the far reaches of the universe and through every realm of the earth and its atmosphere no one was found who was worthy enough to approach god and not even to remove the scroll from the hand of god but even worthy enough to look at that sacred scroll in the hand of god no one worthy was found and we read in verse number four that john said as this moment of suspense and this pause as the search party was underway looking for someone worthy to approach the throne of god and take the scroll from god john was weeping over the fact that no one worthy was found now the question is asked why would john start crying why would john be weeping over the fact that no one worthy was found well perhaps it was because john realized that it was god's desire that someone take the scroll from god's hand but with no one worthy having been found perhaps john believed that the lack of a worthy party to approach god was an offense to god because god wanted someone to take the scroll from his hand so perhaps john wept out of a sense of god's sense of of offense that god was insulted maybe john was weeping because having understood the significance of this scroll in god's right hand maybe he himself was weeping because he was disappointed that he would never know the contents of the scroll as the suspense built in heaven had built in john's heart he wanted to know what would be revealed inside that scroll as the seals were broken and it was unfurled and then some have suggested that the reason john was weeping is because he thought surely from among those of his of his human race the human race to which he belonged surely there would be some worthy human being found worthy enough to approach the throne of god and the fact that the proclamation was that no one worthy was found was a way for john to sense his embarrassment that he belongs to a race of people and just so you know there is only one race of people it's the human race and for john to be the representative of the human race before god's throne perhaps he was weeping out of shame and embarrassment that no one from the human race was good enough or worthy enough to approach god's throne and take the scroll maybe john's heart was gripped with the reality of what romans 3 23 says ho we're not worthy and the reason we're not worthy to approach god's throne is that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of god well we could speculate for a hundred more years on why john started weeping but the good news is he didn't have to weep very long because look in verse number five one of those 24 elders that was around the throne comforted john and said john do not weep he was saying i've got good news dry those tears behold the lion of the tribe of judah the root of david has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals so do you see the comforting words asking john to stop crying the good news is that the lion of the tribe of judah has prevailed now where does this expression the lion of the tribe of judah come from well if you're familiar with the tribes of israel you know that the tribes were the descendants of the sons of jacob and when jacob was dying jacob pronounced the blessing and the destiny to each of his sons which blessings and foretold destinies would convey to the tribes that would be the descendants of each of jacob's sons and one of jacob's sons was judah so as jacob was dying these are the words he shared with his son judah in genesis chapter 49 verse 9. he said judah my son is a young lion that is finished eating its prey like a lion he crouches and lies down like a lioness who dares to rouse him the scepter will not depart from judah nor the ruler staff from his descendants until the coming of the one to whom it belongs the one whom all nations will honor and so think about it with me all the way in genesis 49 when jacob was pronouncing the blessing upon his sons he prophesied that the scepter which is the rule of the tribe of judah the scepter would never depart from judah but that the kingdom would be centered in the tribe of judah and he's comparing judah to a lion and here the elder speaks about jesus as the lion of the tribe of judah because jesus was of the tribe of judah and just so you know the city of jerusalem was in the territorial allotment for judah and so judah is the kingly tribe of the 12 tribes and here the pronouncement in heaven is that jesus himself is the lion of the tribe of judah so it pays to know the old testament when you see some of these proclamations that we find in the book of revelation just so you'll uh come compare this idea of jesus being the lion if you have read the chronicles of narnia volumes by c.s lewis you'll know that god is depicted in in narnia as aslan the lion and he is the fierce but benevolent depiction of god in the imagery of the of the uh narnia novels and series okay so the elder is comforting john saying the lion has prevailed to take the scroll but after he refers to the lion of the tribe of judah there's a comma there and the elder says that the one who has prevailed is not only the lion of the tribe of judah but if you notice the elder called him also the root of david what is the root of david you go all the way back to the prophecy in isaiah chapter 11 and verse number 1 where the prophecy was given there shall come forth a rod from the stem or the stump of jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots so the root of david means that jesus christ is a descendant of david and we know that so that isaiah 11 prophecy is what the elder in the revelation chapter 5 statement to john who was weeping he reaches all the way back to isaiah 11. so notice he's borrowed from genesis 49 referring to the lion of the tribe of judah and he's borrowed from isaiah chapter 11 referring to jesus as the root of david and what does he say about the lion the lion has prevailed to do what to take the scroll number one so only the lion of the tribe of judah in all to the universe all of heaven all of earth all under the earth only this lion of judah was found worthy to approach the throne not only to take the scroll but to start breaking those seals that bound the scroll and when it says that the line of the tribe of judah has prevailed this speaks of something that the lion has accomplished he has won he has conquered he has emerged victorious from a battle or conflict and you and i both know what he did to prevail he died for our sins but he conquered the grave when he was raised from the from the dead to new life and so the lion of the tribe of judah certainly has prevailed and he alone is worthy to take the scroll from him who sat on the throne so i want to just take a breath for a moment and i hope you're following along because we're in a worship service out of this world and we've looked at the throne of god that john describes we've looked at a scroll that was in the right hand of god which john describes and now we have talked about the lion who prevailed and was found worthy to take the scroll from the right hand of god and we understand the lion of the tribe of judah who is also the root of david this is none other than jesus there's a fourth thing i want you to write down as we continue looking at what john says about this worship service the lamb the lamb suddenly john's focus shifts and because his focus shifts so our focus as the readers of his book of revelation 2 shifts and it is drawn to the lamb in heaven let's look in verse number 6 john writes 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 this lamb was a curious looking lamb wasn't it because it had seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of god sent out into all the earth verse 7 then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne now think with me for a moment if you'll remember what did the elder who comforted weeping john say he said stop crying behold the lion of the tribe of judah has prevailed to take the scroll and break its seals so when john's tears dry up he looks and whereas he was told that the lion was worthy to take the scroll he looks to see this lion only to see a lamb so the question is this is it a lion or is it a lamb and the answer is yes it is the lion it is the lamb because both of these depict the lord jesus christ some of you may remember that when we first started our live stream we had big daddy weave featured here as one of our guest artists and one of his great songs is called the lion and the lamb and we sing that in church as as a as a favorite praise song and it sounds like two different entities but the lion and the lamb are both the lord jesus christ so the elder says the lion of the tribe of judah has prevailed to take the scroll but john looks and it's not the lion that takes the scroll it's the lamb that takes the scroll now just as a matter of reference lion in reference to christ occurs only here in the book of revelation but the word lamb in reference to christ occurs 28 times in the book of revelation so let there be no doubt while jesus is the lion of the tribe of judah the way he has identified more than any other in the book of revelation is as the lamb and if you'll remember that when john the baptist was baptizing people in the jordan river he looked up and he saw jesus standing on the banks of the jordan and in john chapter 1 verse 29 it says the next day john saw jesus coming toward him and he said what did he say you know it read it out loud with me behold the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world and so even when jesus earthly ministry began with his baptism by john the baptist john the baptist identified jesus as the lamb of god who takes away the sins of the world now please note here that when john looks and sees the lamb it says he saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain so the lamb is not still slain as if to say the lamb is dead the lamb is standing as though it had been slain now the word slain there is a past tense verb but it is a greek tense which means though the action took place in the past its effects are continuing into the present which is a beautiful tense of the greek verb so even though slain is something that happened to the lamb in the past the effects of his death are still active are still to our benefit even in the present so here you have a lamb and the lamb appears as though it has been slain but it is standing so the question is was the lamb slain or is the lamb alive and the answer is yes the lamb was slain but the lamb is very much alive because though he appears to have been slain his position is he is standing so there's no question that this lamb is living was dead but lived again this could be none other than jesus now when it comes to this lamb who was slain realize this that in this worship service around the throne of god that is now shifting its focus to the lamb who is jesus in the throne room of god the word slain is mentioned three times in chapter five and i want you to notice on this little chart here it's mentioned in verse 6 which is where we're looking now it's mentioned again in verse 9 and it is mentioned yet again in verse number 12. and then it appears again in the 13th chapter and verse number 8. what happened when the lamb was slain that is a reference to jesus death on the cross that is where the lamb of god was slain for our sins so think about this with me for a moment he is referred to 28 times in this book as the lamb he is mentioned in worship in chapter five three times as having been slain which is a reference to his cross this lets us know that we will not only worship the lord jesus christ for what he did on the cross it's not just something we do while we're here on earth but we will worship this lamb who was slain throughout all the unending eons of eternity we will forever worship jesus for his death on the cross on our behalf worthy is the lamb who was slain now i pointed out that it's a curious appearing lamb why because he has seven horns do you remember when we were studying the book of daniel that horns on an animal as depicted in these visions that daniel received these horns imply authority they usually depicted a kingdom or a king and for this lamb who had been slain but was standing alive to have seven horns the horns are power number seven is completion and totality this lamb is crowned with complete and total power the seven horned lamb and not only that but he has seven eyes once again seven being totality and completion and eyes being the the the way we perceive and understand knowledge and we believe that this is not only a symbol of omniscience which means that this lamb is all wise and all-knowing but john tells us that these seven eyes symbolize the seven spirits of god which are sent out into all the earth there in verse number six now this is about the third time that the reference to the seven spirits of god has appeared in the book of revelation and what we understand is that this refers to symbolically the holy spirit there are not seven different spirits of god but the seven spirits of god depict the totality of the one holy spirit of god and notice in the last part of verse 6 underline it it says the seven spirits of god which are sent out remember when christ got back to heaven to be seated at the right hand of god he sent the gift of the holy spirit into all the earth on the day of pentecost it was the promise of the father but the spirit being sent forth was the gift of the son so here attached to the lamb of god jesus are the seven eyes which depict the seven spirits of god which we believe symbolizes that christ sent out the holy spirit into all the earth okay so in verse number seven as we saw a moment ago john says that the suspense was concluded when the lamb took the scroll from god's right hand and isn't it interesting that when we study the new testament over and over and over again we find references to the fact that when jesus christ ascended after his resurrection and he walked back into heaven and was welcomed back to sounds of praise where is it that jesus took his seat he took his seat at the right hand of god and so if we are in the throne room in revelation 5 and john is telling us that in almighty god's right hand there was a scroll and that the lamb was worthy to take the scroll and and the lamb approached the throne and took the scroll well since jesus was already seated at god's right hand he did not have very very far to go to take the scroll from the right hand of god the father and that's exactly what happened and so imagine this as the lamb takes the scroll if this scroll represents the authority and the power to execute judgment upon the earth then what the lamb now holds in in his hand which he took from the right hand of god it symbolizes that all of the power and the authority of god also belongs to jesus now just to take a little trip back into the book of daniel in one of daniel's visions daniel described perhaps prophetically what would take place in the throne room of god which john is depicting for us in chapter 5 of revelation in daniel chapter 7 verse 13 he writes i was watching in the night visions and behold one like the son of man that's jesus coming with the clouds of heaven he came to the ancient of days that's the father that's almighty god and they brought him near before him perhaps that's when the lamb is approaching the throne in revelation 5. and then in verse 14 of daniel 7 he says then to him to jesus was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples nations and languages should serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed so it's fascinating to me to consider that daniel saw this approaching of christ to the father and that by the decree of the father all authority and might and glory and dominion was given to the son and that to the son was given the worship of all the peoples on planet earth maybe daniel saw it before john saw it but i believe that daniel 7 and revelation 5 are parallel accounts of the same of the same transfer of power from the father to the son so it's an exciting worship service to see the lamb of god approach the father god and take the scroll from god's hand here's the fifth thing though that i want you to write down and that is the worship the worship now there's a sense in which all of this evokes worship elicits worship but we're going to look specifically at what kind of worship took place when the lamb took the scroll out of the hand of god now both chapters 4 and 5 provide us with a glimpse into worship around god's throne but the worship intensifies here in the fifth chapter in verse number 8 john says when the lamb who is the lamb say it out loud with me jesus when jesus had taken the scroll those four living creatures which were described in chapter 4 and the 24 elders that surround god's throne the 4 and the 24 fell down before the lamb each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints so the response follow now in chapter 4 the four living creatures who cried holy holy holy and never rest day or night they were worshiping god on the throne the 24 elders when they would hear the four living creatures would prostrate themselves and cast their crowns before the throne of god and cry out worthy are you o creator god right they're worshiping the father god on the throne but here they transfer their worship as soon as the lamb of god takes the scroll from the hand of god the four living creatures and the 24 elders begin to worship the lamb which tells us that jesus is as deserving of our worship as is the father god they're worshiping jesus christ that's what they're doing and i believe that about the 24 elders john describes each of them has a harp and a harp was an instrument that we find described in the psalms we know that david played a harp it was a stringed instrument it wasn't the big elaborate type of instrument that has to be put on rollers and that you see in orchestras today it was a little handheld stringed instrument that could be plucked or strummed and so john sees in worship instruments being played by these redeemed elders who represent the redeemed of the ages they're using their instruments in worship and not only that but they have did you see what he said in verse number eight they have golden bowls and those bowls have incense now we baptists we're non-liturgical people but roman catholics and other liturgical groups that worship they they use incense in their worship and sometimes we're not we're not familiar with the incense in its relationship to worship in fact if i ever tried to use some incense in a worship service here i'd probably be run out on a rail because people would think what are you doing but you know when the when the priest would minister in the tabernacle and the temple in the old testament incense was burned and here there is a bowl of incense that's sending up a smoldering pleasant aroma and what does it say in verse number eight that these redeemed elders who have their harps with which to play music for the lamb of god jesus and they have these golden bowls with these these this uh this aroma of incense coming from them john tells us in verse number eight that the incense is the prayers of god's people that means that our prayers are symbolized in incense that is fragrant to god there it's not an incense to be breathed in by angels it's not an incense to be inhaled and enjoyed by other created beings in heaven it's not an incense to be inhaled even by mary to whom many people pray our prayers being incense are only to be inhaled and and enjoyed by god himself david of israel said in psalm 141 and verse 2 let my prayer be set before you as incense the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice and i want you to know something every time you and i pray our prayers to god are like incense that go up to him and look at how it's symbolized in these golden bowls before god's throne and then in let's go on to verses 9 and 10 and they sang a new song saying you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and you have redeemed us to god by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and you have made us kings and priests to our god and we shall reign on the earth now i want you to notice there in verse number nine it says and they sang a new song a new song now our church is very flexible very pliable but throughout the years of being a pastor it's always been fun especially in traditional baptist churches when you introduce a new song and people say i like the old ones better whatever happened to the hymn books and the songs that we know now we hear some of that around here and i'm like you i like some of the old songs it's hard to improve upon those timeless hymns but god's always leading people to write new songs of praise as well so i'm one of these who doesn't believe it's an either or i believe it's a both end but just know in psalm 98 and verse 1 the bible declares oh sing to the lord what kind of song sing to the lord a new song and in chapter 5 and verse 9 in this throne room worship service out of this world john says and they sang a new song now just for uh just for trivial purposes this adjective knew it appears in revelation over and over again notice this chart on the screen when jesus was promising to one of the churches a reward he says i'm going to give you a new name and then in chapter 3 and in chapter 21 we read about the new jerusalem and in chapter 21 there's a reference to the new heaven and the new earth and then in chapter 21 and verse 5 god says that he makes all things new so i want you to realize that new is not always bad in fact there are many instances instances in which we see that when god does something new new is very good i'm reminded just in in telling you this uh in second corinthians 5 and verse 21 if any man be in christ he is a new creation old things have passed away behold all things have become new so let's not despise the new but what i want you to look at with me tonight is how this lamb of god is praised in this new song that they're singing and you'll see he has praised for who he is they said you are worthy he is worthy he is praised for what he did for you were slain that's his death on the cross he was praised for what that death did that death on the cross redeemed us to god it paid the price redemption means purchase it paid the money to set us free and he is praised for what it took to redeem us by your blood it was the cost was his blood and they say we praise you for that the lamb was praised for whom his death was and for whom did he die in their song of praise they set out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation he died for all people and he is praised for who we now are it says in verse 10 you have made us kings and priests we were sinners headed for hell and now because of your blood we are kings and priests he is praised that because of his death this is what we will do we shall reign on the earth now is that not exciting i mean they are saying jesus we praise you for all of these reasons now i just want to press false for a moment number one i need to catch my breath number two i want to call attention to this fact that as they're praising jesus they're praising him because he shed his blood and redeemed us to god and paid the price so that those from out of every tribe every tongue every people every nation you know what this tells us this tells us that once we are washed in the blood of jesus christ it does not matter what our ethnicity is it does not matter from where we have come it does not matter what our ancestry dna is we are all bloodballed children of god but i'm going to tell you something else it teaches us that jesus when he went to the cross he didn't say i'm just going to die for white people i'm just going to die for black people i'm just going to die for jewish people i'm just going to die for hispanic people or asian people this tells us jesus died for all people and it means jesus loves all people and if we love jesus then we'll love all people there is no room in the heart of a child of god for bigotry and prejudice and discrimination against any group of people because jesus died for everybody and when we get to heaven we are going to see that there were people who called on the name of jesus while they were on the earth and they're therefore saved they will therefore live in heaven forever and they are going to come from every conceivable ethnicity background and culture imaginable what a worship service and that's what is declared in heaven now i just thought i would show you that this reference in verse 10 to we praise you lamb of god that you have made us kings and priests kings and priests you find in chapter 1 and verse 6. you find it here in verse 10 of chapter 5 and then it appears a final time in revelation 20 and and verse 6. so here's what i want to do i want us to contrast the worship in chapter 4 with the worship in chapter 5. and you see it on the screen in revelation chapter 4 god is praised for his work of creation but in revelation chapter 5 christ first the lion the root of david but then when he goes to the throne he is the lamb christ is praised for his work of redemption because he was slain to redeem us to god so we have creation as the basis of worship in chapter four and we have redemption which is the price paid to save us as the basis for worship in chapter 5. i want to point out something else that the same worship that is given to the father in chapter 4 is given to the son in chapter 5. and that leaves no doubt in our minds that as john depicts worship in heaven the christ of revelation is fully equal with almighty god on the throne of revelation because as jesus said the father and i we are one so this setting of worship and praise of victory and triumph it provides this backdrop for what is about to have happen on earth about which the rest of the book is is is given now we're going to wrap everything up now in reading these last few verses he says then i looked in verse 11 and i heard the voice of many angels around the throne the living creatures the elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands and they were all saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom 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 that's the father god and to the lamb that's the son of god jesus forever and ever and ever so he says here that as this worship service continues to intensify as if it weren't already intense he says in verse 11 there were countless multitudes he says ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands upon thousands everyone who can be seen everything that can articulate some type of noise in all of the created order is worshipping god and what were they proclaiming well in verse number 12 count the number of of reasons for which they were worshiping in verse number 12 it says they were saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb who was slain what is he to receive power riches wisdom strength honor glory blessing seven so there is a seven-fold assignment of qualities for which he is worshiped and things of which he is worthy to receive praise the lord jesus is worthy and then john says just in case anybody was left out of the worship service he says every creature in heaven every creature on the earth and even the things swimming around in the ocean started crying out worthy is the lamb of god blessing and honor and glory and power to him who sits on the throne into the lamp forever and ever now the the commentator dr robert h mount said this he said nowhere else in the literature of worship will one find a scene of such unrestrained praise and adoration in other words this worship service is a pinnacle moment and you and i have been blessed to study it tonight the last verse verse 14 it says when all this was said and done the four living creatures said amen amen and the 24 elders what did they do once again they fell down and they worshiped him who lives forever and ever i want you to think about the concentric circles around the throne and now around the lamb who is at the throne you have the four living creatures revealed in chapter four the 24 elders around the throne then you have these thousands of angelic hosts around them and then all of the creatures on land and in the sea are crying out in the far reaches of all that god created the concentric circles as if to fulfill that command that says let everything that has breath praise the lord not everything that has breath is praising the lord now but according to what john saw in the spirit there's coming a day when around the throne of god everything and i mean everything that has breath will praise the lord now this scene of worship gets us ready and establishes the fact that what is about to happen on earth catastrophic as it will be cataclysmic as it will be and even at times chaotic and lethal as it will be all of this is part of a holy god pouring out wrath that he alone is worthy to execute against a sinful wicked and rebellious mankind who have rejected his grace and mercy and love and this is why it is so crucial that we do everything we can to call people to jesus before it is forever too late father we join with the four living creatures the 24 elders the thousands times thousands of angelic hosts in all of the created order lifting our hands and saying blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits upon the throne and to the lamb forever and ever amen

Channel: FirstBaptistAtlanta

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Length: 54min 6sec (3246 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 22 2020