Gospel Centered End Times

Revelation 5:1-14

 

Introductory Comments/Vision Statements

 

July 4th

 

The Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have begun thinking less of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this . Aim at heaven and you get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you get neither.

 

C S LEWIS...

 

 

Sermon Introduction

 

Missing the main point.- Sleeping Beauty or wedding with bride yet focused on details.

 

Text

 

Revelation 5:1-14 (ESV)

 

Prop:

the end times are  about the exaltation of the lamb of God over all creation for

 

The Lamb is worthy.

 

The Lamb is worthy to unfold God’s plan

The Lamb is worthy because he was slain and purchased men for God.

The Lamb is worthy to receive All our worship.

 

1.      The Lamb is worthy to unfold God’s plan

Revelation 5:1-14 (ESV)
1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

 

1.1.                     The scene

 

Chapters 1-3 –

Revelation 1:4-8 (ESV)
4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

 

All problems, heresies and deviations from the true course of Christian living which occupy the writers of the New Testament Epistles derive from the same basic problem: a failure to bring the gospel to bear on this or that aspect of life.

Graham Goldsworthy, the Goldsworthy Trilogy p 200

 

Groundwork

Interpretive grid.

 

Revelation 22:1-5 (ESV)
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

 

Chapter 4

Worshipping the Creator!

What drama!

 

Now – God with a scroll

 

1.2.                     The scroll

 

Daniel 12:1-4 (ESV)
1 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

 

Ezekiel 2:9 (ESV)
9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.

 

The plan!

God’s master plan for the universe.

God’s plan of redemption and consummation.

God’s plan of exalting his Son!

 

1.3.                     The Lion

 

Ot Messianic.

Gen 49:9-10

Genesis 49:9-10 (ESV)
9 Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

 

 

Isa. 11:1

Isaiah 11:1 (ESV)
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

 

A powerful being!  The King of Beasts!

Yeh!  A Lion!  Aslan!

 

1.4.                     The Lamb

“Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

A Lamb?

 A conquering Lamb!

 

It is this relationship of the fist and second coming which provides the structure of John’s thought in the book of Revelation. It is the relationship of the Lamb to the Lion.  The Lion is the symbol of the majesty of the glorious messiah-king of Israel who is revealed in the glory of the kingdom of God.  The Lamb is he symbol of the suffering Jesus of Nazareth.  John shows us that he who would see the Lion must find him first in the Lamb.  The messianic kingdom of Israel has its reality only through the redemptive work of the Christ who dies and rose again.  Although the Lamb will ever by the Lamb, for the glorified Christ is exalted on account of his sufferings, nevertheless the majesty of the Lion will shine forth from the Lamb at his second coming.

Graham Goldsworthy, the Goldsworthy Trilogy, p 176

 

 

1.5.                     The book of Revelation in a nutshell

 

Lion and Lamb!

Conqueror and Redeemer.

Conquering through Redemption , conquering because of death.

 

Here we see that he key to the truth, all the truth, about the kingdom of God is Jesus Christ his life, death and resurrection.  John has woven this fact into the apocalyptic idiom by depicting the slain Lamb as the one who alone is worthy to unlock the truth.  In this way John reminds us of the centrality of the gospel in his book.  If we would unlock the meaning of Revelation it must be by means of the fact that Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry of redemption is the true and revealing Word of God.  Revelation, like every other book in the New Testament is an exposition of the gospel.  It may emphasize certain implications of the gospel, but it is about the gospel just the same.

Graham Goldsworthy, the Goldsworthy Trilogy, p./ 169

 

 

2.      The Lamb is worthy because he was slain and purchased men for God.  The lamb is worthy to receive all your worship.

Revelation 5:1-14 (ESV)
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

 

With the handing of the scroll to the Lamb we enter into one of the greatest scenes of universal adoration anywhere recorded.  The living creatures and the twenty-four elders prostrate themselves before the Lamb with harps and golden bowls of incense, ready to sing of his infinite worth as revealed in his great act of redemptive self-sacrifice.  It is assumed that he has taken his place upon the throne.

Robert Mounce, Revelation Commentary, p 134.

 

2.1.                     The Lamb is worthy because he was slain.

 

Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV)
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

Isaiah 45:22-25 (ESV)
22 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’ 24 “Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him. 25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.”

 

  • In the form of God
  • Did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped
  • Made Himself nothing
  • Taking the form of a slave
  • He humbled himself
  • Obedient
  • Obedient to the point of death
  • Obedient to the point of death on a cross
  • The righteousness of Christ in the law – ultimately in the cross!

 

  • The dominion of man as the stage upon which the drama of the universe unfolds.
  • Principalities and powers, mighty angels and demons,
  • God himself taking on human flesh.!!!!!!!
  •  

Nothing like this!  You want entertainment? Drama? Action? Romance? Character development? A series?  Fine writing?  Nothing like the real thing!!

 

  • His perfection in character
  • The first Adam, the second Adam.
    • “I will be like God” Vs. “I will be empty myself of my God-given prerogative and be the servant of all.”
    • I will live for my own pleasure. Vs. I will endure pain for the pleasure of my Father.
    • I will take my dominion vs. I will humble myself to serve.
    • I will give my life to enslave many vs. I will give my life as a ransom for many.
    • I will rule for my own sake vs. I will rule for the sake of others and my Father.

 

  • He has won the dominion intended for man as the perfect Adam.
  • Adam failed –you failed – yet he succeeded and brings many in his victory parade – captive to him!
  • Every knee will bow, every tongue confess!
  • Revelation is the fulfillment of this promise – made in Is.43, an echo of the command of Adam to rule, reverberating in Phil 2 and now demonstrated in Rev. 5!

 

Every knee bowing, every tongue confessing!

JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!

 

The Bible, therefore, teaches us to see human history as completely dominated by Jesus Christ.  History is the sphere of God’s redemption, in which he triumphs over man’s sin through Christ God once again reconciles the world to himself (II Cor. 5:19).  Through Christ God has once and for all won the victory over death (I Cor. 15:21-22), Satan (John 12:31), and all hostile powers (Col. 2:15). The centrality of Christ in history is symbolically depicted in the fifth chapter of the book of Revelation.  Only the Lamb is worthy to take the scroll and to beak its seven seals- the breaking of the seven seals meaning not just the interpretation of history but the execution of the events of history (as the succeeding chapters show).

Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, p. 29

 

 

  • Impact on the church in Asia Minor!
    • Hope
    • Confidence.
    • Strength in persecution.
    • Boldness

 

In Revelation John uses a variety of ways to present this gospel of our justification as the heart and soul of the Christian message.  In the context of the sufferings of the Christians to whom he writes, John presents a message which is as relevant today as was then: the Christian’s comfort in adversity, his corrective in error, his motive for holiness, is the gospel and only the gospel.

Graham Goldsworthy, the Goldsworthy Trilogy, p 208

 

In the extremity of suffering when the details of a Pauline exposition of justification by faith may be difficult to recall, the simple and unlettered Christian would more easily remember what had been read to him in the assembly about the slain Lamb glorious upon the throne.

Graham Goldsworthy, the Goldsworthy Trilogy, p180.

 

Impact in MVA!

 

Carwash example.  – Get your carwash here!  !!! 

Like Matthew 22 wedding feast – go to the byways!  They will acknowledge now or later.  Jesus is Lord – it is mercy to compel them now!  We will see them later doing the same either joyfully or with much regret!

 

  • Do you live with this reality?
  • Do you walk confidently or ashamedly in your faith?

 

Being in a German prison camp knowing the allies will win.

 

  • How do you deal with those around you?
  • How do you deal with your joy of salvation?

 

2.2.                     The Lamb is worthy because he purchased men for God

9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

 

  • Ransomed people for God!
  • Not influenced people for God.
  • Not set an example for the people of God.
  • Not made a statement about God’s holiness for the people of God.
  • Not made it possible that the people might be ransomed.
  • No – Ransomed people!
  • A payment made!
  • A transaction made 200 years ago – a real and sure transaction.
  • Only a matter of time before applied by the Holy Spirit.
  • If that has occurred, if you have beheld the ransom payment and received it for your life- truly - ..
  • You are free!  The ransom payment has been made.  The ransom power has been done – the chains are broken!  The prisoners are free.
  • Are you free?  Are you walking in this ransom payment or do you still think the chains are on you?  Do you prefer the chains?  Are they comfortable?  Would you insult the blood of the Savior with sticking to the chains?
  • Maybe you don’t think the blood of God is enough.  Do you think that you need to do something yourself.  No thanks, I can get out on my own.  No thanks, I would rather try to file through the shackles myself.  Some of us are filing on shackles that are no longer on our arms – thinking we must contribute something – refusing to accept anything as free!
  • I must do something..  NO! 

 

Free Car Wash!

 

  • An insult to his ransom price.
  • You will do something but only because he has done something.
  • Purchased for God!
  • Irony of freedom – true freedom is being a slave of God.  Worldly freedom is being the slave of a false god or idol.
  • Men for God!
  • A kingdom and priests to our God! FINALLY.
  • An they shall reign on earth – with Jesus!

 

  • He is worthy because he bought people from their sins.
  • He is worthy because of his incredible love and his perfect act of redemption.
  • He is worthy because in Him is realized all the promises made to the forefathers.
  • God is true because of Christ.
  • God’s redemptive plan laid out before the foundation of the earth is realized in Christ.
  • Because of this act – this worthy act – this necessary act – the Lamb has achieved the right to unfurl the scroll.

 

  • He has done it!  He is worthy!
  • Do you live according to the fact that the Lamb is worthy – your Lamb – your Lord! He is worthy and you are his and he is yours and he is worthy!

 

3.      The Lamb is worthy to receive all our praise.

Revelation 5:1-14 (ESV)
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

 

Nowhere else in the literature of worship will one find a scene of such unrestrained praise and adoration.

Robert Mounce, “The Book of Revelation”, NICNT, p. 129

 

All creation now worships.

Chronology in Revelation.  The cycles, progressive parallelism.  Many ways of showing the same thing.

Here too.

 

John sees that day –when all praise Him.

Phil. 2 fulfilled.

The culmination of Revelation.

The culmination of the Lion-Lamb’s reign.

Inaugurated at Calvary – Consummated at Judgment day.

 

Every knee bowing, every tongue confessing – to the glory of the Father.

Why?

 

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.

 

All because of the cross.

 

The cross is central to history.  The most important event of all time.  The most glorious event of all time.  The most magnificent revelation of the glory of God!

Can you see it?

Can you see the glories of Calvary?

Can you at least recognize that you don’t see?

Can you praise Him for it?  Can you praise Him for what you do know?

What do you know?

I know what I know.

I was a rebel – like a fly caught in a spider web or my own deceit and sin with a giant spider named death and destruction creeping ever closer.

Deceived, despairing, denying my state.

Then one day God caught my attention.  He opened up my eyes to see my state.  To see my need for a Savior.  I cried out and then He showed me his glorious gospel.  His incredible – truly incredible cure – that God the perfect one, shed his holy sinless pure blood to pay for my sins, to be spilt for my punishment, to satisfy the just requirements of a good and holy God.

He did it!  Jesus did it !  The Lamb was slain for me!  Now I am His and he is mine.  Now I have forgiveness and life with Him and for Him.  Now He is transforming me ever more to be like Him by His Spirit within me.

I don’t know about you – but He is worthy of my heartfelt praise.

I know there is more, o so much more, and I ask Him regularly to show me the glory of the Lamb.

Will you do that today?  Will you glory in what you do know and ask Him to show you more.

It will take an infinity to answer that prayer – but if you are his, if you desire Him and believe Him – than you will have an infinitude.

 

He is worthy of all our praise.

 

The Christian looks at the Lamb and see the judgment of God on his sin borne by his substitute.  But he sees far more than that. He sees the unending glory of the Lion.  He can never see the Lion without seeing the Lamb, and he can see the Lion only by beholding the Lamb.  So it will be through all eternity.  In this life it is faith alone which perceives these realities, and there is a deep long within every child of God for faith to be turned into sight.  When we are captivate by the gospel, we become more and more impatient with our lack of conformity to the reality of the kingdom.  We are offended by the world’s rejection of our Lord.  We long to be rid of the daily struggle in a world that has the smell of death hanging over even the most sublime beauty of creation.  We cannot but yearn to see all things new.  To that end we cry: ‘Come, Lord Jesus. ’

Graham Goldsworthy, the Goldsworthy Trilogy p 322

 

 

Let’s worship!