Jesus is Worthy Revelation 5

Transcription

1 1 Jesus is Worthy Revelation 5 Please stand and open your Bibles to the last book in the NT. The book of Revelation chapter 5 [READ/Pray]. I have entitled this section simply, Jesus is Worthy. Introduction: If you followed the sport of basketball this past year you would be aware of an ongoing debate around the NBA of who is the greatest basketball player of all time. If you watch ESPN or Fox Sports News, sports commentators, former basketball players and coaches would go back and forth comparing the statistics and accomplishments of LeBron James up against the statistics and accomplishments of Michael Jordan. These debates at times have become rather heated as those who grew up watching Michael Jordan believe that they witnessed the greatest player in NBA history. While those who now are growing up watching LeBron James feel that they are witnessing the greatest player to have ever played the game. But these debates are not isolated to realm of sports alone, it seems that everyone has an opinion of who is the greatest president in American history, who is the greatest musical artist in history, who made the greatest contribution to the field of medicine in history, the field of education in history, the field of science in history, and so on and so forth. And as you listen to these discussions you come away either siding with one view or remaining neutral as you see that each side has a valid point. But when the question is asked who is worthy to be worshiped as the Greatest of All Time?

2 2 We will discover in our text this morning that there really is no discussion, in fact, it is not even up for debate. Even if there was an opinion that ran contrary to the truth of the One God has designated, that opinion would not be voiced at all. In fact, I would say that any opinion that runs contrary to God s answer would be the highest act of blasphemy. The question of who is worthy to be worshiped as the Greatest of All Time is an indisputable, undeniable, uncontestable and unarguable discussion. For there is only one who is worthy and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Quote of an Unknown Author Buddha never claimed to be God. Moses never claimed to be Jehovah. Mohammed never claimed to be Allah. Yet Jesus Christ claimed to be the true and living God. Buddha simply said, I am a teacher in search of the truth. Jesus said, I am the Truth. Confucius said, I never claimed to be holy. Jesus said, Who convicts Me of sin? Mohammed said, Unless God throws His cloak of mercy over me, I have no hope. Jesus said, Unless you believe in Me, you will die in your sins. Exposition: And in Revelation 5, we return to the throne room scene that began in chapter 4. And in this section we are given: 3 indisputable reasons as to why Jesus alone is worthy to reign over all things: The 1 st indisputable reason why Jesus alone is worthy is because: Every created being in all of the universe declined themselves as being worthy to reign over all things [vv. 1-4]: [1] I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.

3 3 I saw in the right of Him who sat on the throne a book I saw [eidov (opao) aorist indicative active 1st person singular]; in the right hand of Him in [epi on; an open palm]; who sat on the throne sat [kathemai to sit down; present participle middle voice; gen. masc. singular substantival participle of the One sitting down of Himself]; We saw back in chapter 4 of Revelation that there is only one piece of furniture in heaven that describes heaven and that is God s throne; a book [biblion a scroll]; written [grapho perfect participle passive voice; neuter, accus. singular; having been written]; the Father is the author of the scroll. In His heavenly throne room, the Father has a library with a couple of books of on shelf: 1] the book of life, which has all the names of those He chose for the Son to save and the Spirit to seal; 2] the books of the evil works of unrepentant sinners, which chronicle of all the evil thoughts, words and actions of all unbelievers down through human history; 3] He has a scroll, that He wrote before the foundation of the world, which gives detail information on how this present world will end and how the future world will come about. There is much so information detailing how this present world will end and how the future world will come about that the Father had to write on the back of the book. In this section, the Father has pulled this book off the shelf and has it in the open palm of His right hand. inside and on the back inside [esothen within]; and back [opisthen back; an opisthograph would signify a scroll full of words]; God s writing of completeness as the two tablets of stone on both sides had the writing of God [Exod. 32:15-16]; Just as God s law to Israel was complete. So is God s plans for the future of human history is complete. sealed up with seven seals sealed up [katasphragizo to seal up; to close with a seal; perfect participle passive voice; neuter, accus, singular having been sealed up]; [The common way of sealing a scroll was to place its seal or seals on the outer edge so that

4 4 they all had to be broken before any of the scroll s content could be read. Thomas] seven seals [ seals were used as a stamping device in place of signatures to validate a document. The impression was normally made on clay, wax, or some other soft material According Roman law a testament or will was sealed with seven seals by seven witnesses. The testimony of witnesses not present at a trial was also sealed, then opened by the court and read aloud The book spoken here seems to be the book of God s decrees containing the full account of what God in His sovereign will has determined as the destiny of the world. [The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek NT]; seven the complete purposes of God for the final phrase of human history. The scroll essentially is God eternal plan for the completion of world history which entails judgment upon the earth, judgment of unrepentant humanity, judgment of the devil and his angels, Christ s reign with His people on earth and the eternal state. As seen in chapters [2] And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals? And I saw [eidov aorist indicative active 1st person singular]; a strong angel [aggelon ischurov a mighty angel]; proclaiming with a loud voice proclaiming [kerusso to preach; to herald; present participle active; accus. masc. singular]; Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals? Who is worthy [axios worthy; Five of the six uses of worthy in this book occur in these two chapters [4-5] Osbourne weight someone with heavy credentials; to open [anoigo aorist infinitive active]; to break [luo to loose; unbind; to undo; aorist infinitive active];

5 5 Who is worthy, who has the power and authority to walk up to the God, who sits on the throne, who is Holy, Holy, Holy and take the scroll from His hand? [3] And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able was able [eduvato (dunamai) imperfect indicative middle voice; 3rd person singular; no one was able of himself ]; to open [anoigo aorist infinitive active]; or to look into it [blepo to look; present infinitive active]; Like the screen in Black Panther the river tribe, the border tribe will not challenge today [4] Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; Then I began to weep greatly began to weep [eklaion (klaio) imperfect indicative active 1st person singular; inceptive imperfect beginning of the verbal action I began to weep continually]; because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it ; this scroll has inscribed on it the fulfillment of what the angels and the saints long for and what demons and fallen mankind are terrified off. That s why you don t have demons coming up trying to take the scroll because it describes their doom. And the reason why you don t have angels and saints coming to take the scroll because they don t have the power to enforce what is written. No hope of God s purposes for bringing the universe to consummation would be fulfilled. Every wrong committed down through human history not being made right, every act of suffering of the redeemed not receiving reward and rest, the devil and his demons not receiving their due, the curse of disease, decay and death remaining in human

6 6 existence, sorrows not made to joy, pain not made to comfort, God not being glorified in the end. Back Revelation 4:1, John was told, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things. It s important that right after seeing the state of seven churches of Asia Minor, in which only two out of the seven were living faithfully before the Lord, which means five out of the seven were compromising with sin, tolerating false doctrine, spiritually dead and apostate. Seeing that as an apostle, knowing that the truth had been brought to these congregations and seeing them drift at the close of the first century can be very discouraging, especially while being imprisoned on the island of Patmos for the gospel. There is nothing more disappointing then suffering for what you know to be right only to feel like it really didn t matter in the end. There is nothing as depressing as spending your life seeking to honor the Lord by doing His will and it seems to be pointless because there hadn t been any fruit from it. There is something that is about to happen after these things. After these things : But John weeps because he sees that there is no one worthy to break the seals and open the scroll. Therefore, God s purposes for the consummation of the universe will be postponed indefinitely. The 2 nd indisputable reason why Jesus is worthy is because: Jesus alone is the God-Man who conquered death in order to purchase sinners from every nation to reign with Him on the earth [vv. 5-10]: [5] and one of the elders said to me, Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and it seven seals.

7 7 Stop weeping [Me klaie (klaio) present imperative active 2nd person singular] this is the cry of no hope the collective tears of burden, fatigue of life, of disappointment and personal frustration the tears of separation of loved ones who gone on to be with the Lord the tears at funerals Yet it interesting, that no one else in heaven wept. Why? Because they already knew that there was only One worthy to open the scroll. Sometimes we would wept less out of hopelessness if we thought more about Jesus; behold [idou see! Look!]; the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah Scrip. Ref: Gen. 49:9-10]; the Root of David Scrip. Ref: Isa. 11:1&10; He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah He conquers; He is the Root of David He controls life, He governs genealogical lines, creates family trees, empowers the sperm and the egg to produce life, determines our life span, guides genetics, determines gender and ordains all of human history. The offspring of David, in His humanity is the root of David, in His deity. has overcome [enikesen (nikao) to conquer; to overcome; to come off victorious; aorist indicative active 3rd person singular; this verb is place after behold in the Greek text; This is the same verb used in the seven letters for the overcomer or conqueror and probably means that Jesus victory is the basis for ours. Osbourne] Weeping and discouragement is not fitting simply because no one can be found among the race of fallen humanity to solve life s biggest problem. John wept because he was looking in the wrong direction. He took his eyes off of the throne. No one else in heaven was weeping because they never took their eyes of the throne. [6] And I saw between the throne [with the four living creatures] and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

8 8 And I saw [eidov aorist indicative active; 1st person singular]; between the throne [lit. in the middle of the throne and the four living beings and in the middle of the elders the Lamb is at the center of all that takes place in heaven]; a Lamb standing arnion [little lamb; in Revelation He appears as the Lamb 31 times] Last week, in Genesis 22:7, Isaac asks Abraham the question, Where is the Lamb? And Abraham s response was, God will provided for Himself a Lamb. That Lamb is none other than Jesus Christ; standing [istemi perfect participle active; neuter nom. singular; having been standing]; as if slain [sphazo to slaughter; perfect participle passive voice; neuter; nom. singular; lit. as having been slain ] Notice that though the Lamb is slain, it is yet standing. In what appears to be defeat there is victory. Jesus is so powerful that He can defeat His enemies and save sinners by His own death and then bring Himself back to life as proof of the victory. That s why no created being in the universe is worthy. If Jesus can overcome His enemies by seemingly defeat in death, then surely He will conquer the effects of sin, Satan and death by His life. The Lamb is in the middle of the throne as the center of the Father s enjoyment, the Spirit s intentions to glorify the Lamb and heaven s praise. When you and I get to heaven we will see Christ with scars as a reminder of how you and I were able to enter into God s kingdom; our victory is only because of Christ s victory through His shed blood. The effects of the blood cleansing from sin and setting us apart to holiness is why we are able to persevere unto glory. The blood of Jesus has produced worshipers to God. We overcome because we stay in His word and on our knees. That s what the blood produces in the redeemed. 1 Cor. 6:20. We gain victory through our worship to God. having seven horns and seven eyes having [exo to have; present participle active; nom. masc. singular]; seven horns horns [speak of power and strength];

9 9 seven is the number of perfection = omnipotence; eyes [intelligence; awareness]; seven is the number of completion or perfection = omniscience; which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth sent out [apo-stello to send; perfect participle passive voice; nom; masc. plural]; The Lamb achieve an actual atonement, which the Holy Spirit applies to those whom the Father has chosen and for whom the Son died. These, the Spirit draws and seals. Jesus is called a Lion but in appearance He resembled a lamb. Taken together, we learn that this doesn t make Jesus safe but it does make Him good. [7] And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And He came and took the book He came [erchomai aorist indicative active 3rd person singular]; and took the book [lambano to take; perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; had taken ]; out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne sat on [tou kathenenou of the One who is sitting of Himself; present participle middle voice; gen. masc. singular; substantival participle]; all of the creatures in heaven bow with their faces to the ground before the throne, while the Lamb remains standing as He approaches the throne to take the scroll. Jesus is Worthy. Jesus took the book from the Father s right hand and He didn t prohibit, the four living creatures and the twentyfour elders did not protest nor stand in His way. [8] When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. When He had taken the book had taken [lambano to take; aorist indicative active; 3rd person singular]

10 10 Quote: Dr. James Hamilton Jesus has seized destiny not just His destiny all destiny. Jesus is the One who ensures that the universe will have meaning Jesus is the One who will right the wrongs and heal the hurts and wipe away the tears. fell down [pipto to fall; aorist indicative active; 3rd person plural]; each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense holding [echo to have; present participle active nom. masc. plural]; a harp [kitharan]; golden bowl full of incense [phialas chrusas golden bowls]; which are the prayers of the saints Whether you realize it or not, all of your deepest longings for peace and fulfillment in life can only be experienced in the presence of Jesus. Every single prayer, you will ever pray as a believer is interceded by the Spirit, interpreted and summarized before God s throne as, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You want peace in this life. You want joy in this life. You want to please God perfectly in this life. You want Jesus to be glorified in this life. You want to be rescued from sin, pain, hurt, sadness and uncertainly. You want a relationship that satisfies and won t mistreat you. All of these longings are perfectly answered in Jesus. Therefore, the scroll is the answer to our petitions. And Jesus is the answer of only One who is able to cause our deepest longings to be realized. That s why all of heaven is celebrating. [9] And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And they sang a new song sang [ado to sing; to chant; present indicative active; 3rd person plural]; a new song [ new kainos fresh; recently made; unused; unworn]; a new song of redemption. We sing songs that are

11 11 cultural, personal, romantic, jamming, patriotic and represent struggle. Here we sing a song in tribute to the One who redeemed us. This is a new song in kind, different from common songs we sing. This is not the song you hear played at family reunions and a couple people stand up and dance while the rest play spades. No, this is a song that when heard is a different kind of song. Not a song that gets us to dance in ways that are unholy. Not a song that gets us to repeat lyrics that are false. Not a song that you recite that you can t relate too. This is a different kind of song. A song that is spiritual, it immediately compels us to participate in. A song that is worshipful, it immediately draws you to bow. A song that is salvific, it immediately causes you to get happy. A song whose theme is all about Jesus, it immediately gets you shouting. saying, Worthy are You to take the book are You [eimi present indicative active 2nd person singular] to take [lambano present infinitive active]; and to break its seals to break [anoigo to open; aorist infinitive active]; for You were slain [sphazo to slay; aorist indicative passive voice; 2nd person singular]; and purchased for God with Your blood [KJV and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood Far more extensive evidence favors the reading because You have purchased us to God by Your blood. The addition of the word us, which occurs not only in Codex Sinaiticus but also a great variety of texts from both majority sources and other earlier sources, to say nothing of the appearance of the word us in such varied Patristic writers as Hippolytus, Cyprian, Augustine, and others is not to be easily overlooked. Patterson] This is why we hold to the position that the twenty-four elders are not angels but redeemed human beings representative of both OT and NT saints = 12 tribes of Israel & 12 apostles of the church] purchased [agorazo to buy; to purchase from the marketplace of slavery;

12 12 aorist indicative active; 2nd person singular]; men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation Jesus death was an actual atonement, not a potential or possible one. Often the number four in the Bible stand for the whole world there are four corners of the earth tribe tongue, people and nation means that Jesus has ransomed people from everywhere. [Hamilton] [10] You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth. You have made them made [poieo to make; aorist indicative active 2nd person singular]; to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth they will reign [basileuo to reign; future indicative active 3rd person plural] As inconceivable as it might sound by we will one day rule with Christ. Now that sounds inconceivable because we typically tie royalty rule to having royal blood, sort of a birthright. But don t forget church we are made kings and queens because of the blood of Jesus and be adoption by the Spirit into the kingdom. So we have the right to rule by the blood of Christ and the birthright of the Spirit. The 3 rd indisputable reason why Jesus is worthy is because: Every created being in all of the universe declares that Jesus alone is worthy to reign over all things [vv ]: [11] Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, Then I looked [eidov I saw; aorist indicative active 1st person singular]; and I heard [akouo to hear; aorist indicative active 1st person singular]; the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was myriads of myriads

13 13 myriads of myriads [muriades muriadon ten thousand of ten thousands; innumerable multitude; an unlimited number] The number for ten thousand was the largest that the Greek language could express; and thousands of thousands [chiliades chiliadon] [12] saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. loud voice [phone megale a mighty sound]; Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive slain [sphazo to slay; perfect participle passive voice; neuter nom. singular]; to receive [lambano to receive (recognition); present infinitive active to continual to receive] power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing to receive seven fold recognition of praise. riches wealth entails power, authority, unlimited control, which He is the possessor and enforcer of all things. wisdom the perfection of wisdom is how Jesus enforces God s plan for the universe. and blessing blessing you ought to bless Christ by speaking well of Him of how good He has been to you. Christ ought to be blessed when times are difficult because it could be worse so you are still doing better than you deserve. Christ ought to be blessed when times are good because technically you don t deserve it. Christ ought to be blessed because He saved you from your sins and its eternal consequences. The first song is sung by 28 singers; the next by angels that cannot be number; the next by all creatures of God s creation. [13] And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, To Him who sits on the

14 14 throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. [14] And the four living creatures kept saying, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped. Imagine all the animals in the worlds suddenly break out in spontaneous praise to the Lamb and the Father birds, eagles, pigeons, vultures, fish, whales, sharks, catfish, snakes, dogs, cats, monkeys, ants, raccoons, goats, lions, tigers, alligators, horses, cardinals and wildcats. Singing with a loud voice. And the four living creatures kept saying kept saying [elegon (lego) to say; imperfect indicative active; 3rd person plural; iterative/frequentative imperfect the repetition of the action]; Amen [so be it; make it happen]; And the elders fell down and worshiped fell down [pipto to prostrate; aorist indicative active 3rd person plural]; worshiped [proskuneo aorist indicative active 3rd person plural] In heaven we will be perfect in humility, which means we will be released from the soul disappointing lie that the greatest achievement in life is to be able to sustain happiness in yourself by making much of yourself rather than making much of Christ. Scrip. Ref: Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! Conclusion: