In This God We Can Trust Pt 2 (Revelation 5:1-14 November 15, 2015)

Transcription

1 In This God We Can Trust Pt 2 (Revelation 5:1-14 November 15, 2015) In Luke 1 the Angel Gabriel tells Mary that nothing is impossible for God. Last week we looked at Revelation 4 and the picture we saw there is of this God of absolute power for whom nothing is impossible. However, our passage this evening Revelation 5 reveals that there is one thing that is almost impossible even for God. What is it? It is to forgive sin. The penalty of sin is not something that God can simply forgive. Because God is holy and just He can t just forgive sin there has to be a punishment for sin. Sometimes I do wonder why God can t just waive away our sin. Then something of sheer evil occurs like yesterday s events in Paris. I look at those events and know there must be punishment for such sin you can t let such evil go without judgment but then I think of my own sin and realise there must be punishment for my sin. But God not only wants to punish sin He also wants to forgive the sin of His people. But every single man, woman and child born since Adam has sinned and has no hope of dealing with their own sin let alone dealing with someone else s. So who can deal with sin? No angel can pay the penalty angels are not men and can t die. Even God can t pay the penalty God is not a man and can t die. The end result is that dealing with sin is almost impossible even for God.

2 But almost impossible and impossible are very different things when we are talking about God Almighty. In Revelation 4 and 5, the Apostle John shows us two truths: Rev 4 The Power of God to Save Rev 5 The Plan of God to Save Rev 4 Rev 5 The Power of God to Save The Plan of God to Save Revelation 4 presents a God who has no bounds who can do anything. Revelation 5 shows a God who has a plan to use that power to save His people. And the combined effect is to reassure us that nothing can stop this God from carrying out His plan. God will judge sin and save His people of that you can be sure. The message of these two passages is really pretty simple: In this God we can trust.

3 In our passage tonight John again looks into the throne room of heaven and he sees four images. A scroll, a mighty angel, a Lion who is a Lamb, and a multitude of angels. We are not to try and take these symbols literally they are meant to convey spiritual realities. If you try and take them literally this passage won t make any sense. For example, at one point the mighty angel says to John behold the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and John looks but what he sees is a Lamb as if slain. The four symbols John sees each conveys a spiritual reality that together show the plan of God in salvation and judgment. The first symbol that John sees is: The Scroll Contains God s Plan Of Redemption Look with me at Revelation 5 verse 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. Him who sat on the throne. This is a reference to God the Father in Revelation 4. As we saw last week, John was shown a vision of God the Father at His most awesome. He is surrounded by the most powerful of all created beings. Searing ranks of angelic beings. He is arrayed in majesty and splendour and power. He is a God who is transcendent. His sheer glory would incinerate any human being.

4 Even the mightiest angels do not approach Him. But now John notices something. God the Father has in His hand a scroll. What is the significance? Scrolls were painstakingly and laboriously made from strips of papyrus joined together to make one scroll around 10 metres in length. They were costly and only used to record important information. However, despite the cost, scrolls were normally only written on one side. On the front side of the scrolls the strips of papyrus were laid horizontally. On the back side they were laid vertically. The point is that it is easy to write on the front, but quite difficult to write on the back. There was no smooth surface for the quill to write. So the usual practice was to write only on the front. But if you had a lot to say or wanted a certain document on one scroll, then you wrote on the back as well. This scroll is written on the front and the back. This is the full and complete plan of God to set the wrongs of this world right. So here is the picture. God the Father in all His majesty, seated on His heavenly throne with a scroll in His right hand the hand of power. And as the next chapters unfold, what we find is that this scroll contains God s plan to redeem sinful men and women and judge those who oppose Him. This scroll contains the plan of God determined before the world began of how He will deal with sin and evil and make all things to work together. Judgment on the wicked. Redemption for His people. Restoring the world. Overcoming sin and Satan. I have to tell you there is a part of me that wants to despair about the future when ISIS attacked those men and women in Paris. Here is an act of sheer unmitigated evil and they think they are serving God? What hope is there for our world? The only hope is in this scroll. This scroll is the plan of God to restore our world to the way God intended it to be. God plans for the day when rape and war and paedophiles and dictators and ISIS will come to and end and righteousness will reign.

5 His plan of judgment and redemption is so full, so extensive that the scroll is written on both sides. When a scroll was finished, it was wound around two sticks. Then a single sheet of papyrus was wrapped around the whole scroll and this sheet was sealed with a wax seal or seals. The legal process of the day was that it is the slitting of the seals that enacted the legality of what the scroll outlined. What is contained within comes into effect when the seals are broken and the scroll is read. Remember the scroll not only deals with salvation it deals with judgment. God hates sin and evil and He will not allow it to go unpunished. As the seals are opened God judges and punishes the evil of this world. I don t know about you but there is a big part of me that is impatient for every part of this scroll to be enacted. I want God to come now and end the night of wrongs. I know I am not the only one. When we get to Revelation 6 and the seals are being opened we find martyrs under the altar crying out How long before you will judge and avenge? I want ISIS judged now. But in this scroll the plan of God is laid out in detail and it includes time for the full number of saints to hear the gospel and come to salvation. God delayed His judgment thousands of years so you could be saved perhaps He delayed it so someone here tonight may be added to the full number before the end. But the main point of this passage is that you can trust that this God will bring His plan to pass He will achieve His salvation and His judgment.

6 Evil will not win the Lamb will win. In this case there are seven seals. Seven in this book suggests perfection. This is the perfect plan of God. But, for the scroll to be read for God s purposes to come to pass, the seals must be opened. At this point John looks again and sees a second symbol: The Mighty Angel Reveals God s Solution For Redemption Verse 2: And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? This is a mighty angel with mighty voice. He booms, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals? Who can possibly enact God s plan of redemption? His challenge is uttered to the entire universe. Is there anyone who can take the scroll and save this fallen world and save God s fallen people? Who is able to put the divine plan into action? Who will begin the final series of events that will restore the universe? Verse 3: And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.

7 No one! The challenge is put forth and no one steps forward. No one in all creation, in all history is worthy. When I hear about suicide bombers and jihadists one of the many things that stun me is that they think not only does their God need them to wreck judgment on his enemies but that they are worthy to be instruments of judgment. The truth is none are worthy to carry out the plan of God. No one in heaven is found. No one on earth is found. No one under the earth is found this refers to the realm of the dead. No one! Verse 4: And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. No one to save. No one to punish sin. No wonder John weeps. He understands full well what is at stake here. He weeps because in the flow of this vision, unless someone is found who can open the scroll the purposes of God in judgment and redemption will be thwarted. The world will continue in sin. The wicked will escape final punishment. The children of God will perish in their sin. The cosmos will continue groaning for redemption. Not one person will be saved. Everyone will end up in hell for all eternity. The forces of evil and Satan will win by default because there is no one who can open the scroll. I know how John feels. When I look out on the sin of the world at times I feel like weeping. Evil seems triumphant. At times I wonder who can possibly put this world right? But there is one verse 5:

8 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. Scripture has many ways of referring to Christ. Rock, Word, Light, Shepherd. Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David are two others which are used here. The greatest king in Israel s history was David. But from David on, it was all downhill. Until in the days of the exile the kingly line was cut off entirely. What was left was a stump Priests, Sadducees, Rabbis there no throne or house of David left. But in Christ, the Lion of Judah springs forth from the stump of the line of David. Jesus is King but today, His rule is recognised only by His people. But Revelation tells us that one day His reign will be recognised by all creation. And this One the Lion of Judah is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals. Why is He worthy? Verses 9 and 10 He gave His life to become worthy. Because of this, He is able to open the scroll and enact the plan of God. John looks for this Lion but what he sees is a third symbol: The Lamb Accomplishes God s Victory Through Redemption Verse 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.

9 Of every picture of Christ in the Bible, in the Old Testament, in the gospels, in Revelation I find this to be the picture that sums up each facet of Christ for me. Follow what is going on here. The elder cried to John, Weep no more; behold, the Lion has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. And John felt this surge of hope. He looked up to find this Lion but he saw a Lamb! That is the kind of thing you can do in apocalyptic literature, you can pile all these metaphors together. The Lamb is the Lion of Judah. The Lamb is the kingly root of David. And all the metaphors together tell us something of who this is. But what John sees is no ordinary Lamb. This Lamb looks as if it is slain. Do not miss this. In verse 5 we are told that the Lamb can open the scroll and its seven seals because He has overcome. How did He overcome? By being slain on Calvary. Verses 9-10: 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. He is worthy because He was slain and purchased redemption in His blood. He did what no angel could do what no man could do what even God the Father could not do. This Mighty Lion humbled Himself He became a Lamb slain. He suffered and bled on the cross that He might be the One who would unfold the final chapter of world history. Here we have a glimpse of the climax of history and at this time, with every created being present, the focus of all history shifts to the Lamb slain on Calvary. Christ is the centre of creation and eternity. Christ is our life, our joy, our very substance. Jesus looks like a Lamb slain, for even in eternity, His deeds on Calvary have a central place of importance. He appears as if slain to show for all eternity that He is worthy because of the cross. When Jesus appeared to the disciples and Thomas doubted. The doubts were erased when Thomas felt the five bleeding wounds that won the redemption of mankind. A.W Tozer tells the story that one day a man came to him and declared, I am Jesus Christ. Tozer took his hands and said, Where are the marks? Where are the marks? You are a fake and a fraud. For my Jesus has the marks in His hands.

10 After His resurrection, did Jesus need to keep the wounds? Did He have to appear as a Lamb slain? No! But here at the end of the age, the cross is transformed from a badge of shame and horror to the wonder of the ages. The Lamb who was slain is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He died for me. If you love Him He died for you. This Lamb who was slain now stands in the centre of the throne. This means that He did not come from outside the throne. He is one with Him who sits on the throne. He did not have to navigate the sea of crystal and the seven lamps of fire and the thunder and lightning and the searing ranks of majestic angels to approach the throne. He simply appears in the midst of the throne. He is one with God to begin with. And as such, He never needed to leave the throne. He could have simply remained as the Son throughout all eternity. But then no one could open the scroll and the seals and you and I would perish eternally. Jesus need not have become the Lamb and been slain. He is God. He has nothing to prove. He owes us nothing. Yet, He who is God, chose to leave heaven and become like us and die to become the Lamb who is slain. A slaughtered Lamb. And as such, He is the marvel of the ages. He is the only one who can deal with sin. Ask those from other religions and philosophies how their faith deals with sin they have no answer. Only Jesus can deal with sin. But as John looks what is sees is not what he would immediately think of as the marvel of the ages. When men want symbols of power they choose mighty earthbound animals. Britain choses the lion, Russia the bear, America the eagle. Even we chose the kangaroo and the emu not the quokka and the koala. How many sporting teams name themselves the Lawnton Lemmings or the London Lambs? It is only heaven that chooses a Lamb and a slain Lamb at that to represent the ultimate power. Meekness and majesty. Power and suffering. But this Lamb is not a victim. This Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes.

11 Horns are a symbol of kingly authority. Seven horns means a perfection of kingly authority. Eyes are a symbol of seeing, knowing and understanding. Seven eyes reflect perfect knowledge and understanding. And the seven eyes are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. This Lamb was slain, but He willingly laid down His life and He has come back to life and has all kingly authority, all knowledge and is One with the very throne of God. Those who deny the deity of Jesus Christ must not have read Revelation 5. The Lamb is one with Him who sits on the throne. The Lamb is God Himself the omnipotent, omniscient king He was sacrificed for us. This is the heart of Christianity. And in this one symbol the slain Lamb all the truth of Scripture is crystallised. Verse 7: And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. Only He was able to do it for only He was worthy. And He was worthy because of Calvary. Let me tell you something about that day. In that great day when the Lamb who was slain takes the scroll from the hand of God Almighty no one will think of anything other than Christ. No one will think of money or self or worldly power. There will be no voices raised for gay pride or Islamic Jihad or self serving sin. There will be no place for sin or Satan. Christ and Christ alone will stride the stage of heaven. Heaven and earth will be Christcentred. Every eye will look at Jesus as He takes the scroll and enacts God s incredible plan of salvation. Verse 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. When one is finally found to open the scroll heaven erupts in praise and joy.

12 From this point in the book, again and again we find linked together He who sits on the throne and the Lamb. Together they are God. Author of redemption and Redeemer. And heaven rejoices. Harps are instruments of joy. In Psalm 137, the Jews were encouraged to take up their harps and sing. Maybe you don t think of harps as instruments of joy. Maybe for you it is trumpets or bells but the idea is a chorus of praise and joy. And the prayers are prayers of praise and joy. Psalm 141:2: May my prayer be counted as incense before You. Our prayers are a sweet aroma. The prayers are praises for the Lamb who has triumphed. On this final day, it will be a day of unbridled joy. Finally, God s purposes in history redemption and judgment will have come to pass. And there will be incredible rejoicing. Verses 9-10: 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, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Christ alone was worthy. And in response to what He did they will sing a new song. In the Old Testament, when God did something new, the people were exhorted to sing a new song unto God. If this is a new song, what is the old song? At the end of chapter 4, a song was sung to God the Father. A song of praise to the Creator. Revelation 4:9-11: And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. The old song was a song of thanks for the Creator. It glorified the power of the God who creates.

13 But in Christ, God did something new. God as the Lamb is slain that we might be redeemed. Now the focus of all creation moves to the Lamb. And there is a new song. A song of redemption. God in Christ has done the most wonderful thing. Christ has triumphed in the cross so that the plan of God in judgment and redemption will come to pass. Because He was slain. Because He purchased for God with His blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Because He has made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth. He will save. He will triumph. Suppose Jesus had not come to this world. Suppose He had not died. Suppose there was no Lamb who died to take away the sin of the world. This text says that this means there would have been no one no angel, no man, no one who could open the scroll and the seals and bring the purposes of God to fruition. None could pay the price for sin. Heaven would be empty. Our sin would have long since destroyed us. But the Lamb did leave the throne. And He was slain. And God s purpose in history, God s purpose in redemption, God s purpose for you are unleashed as the seals are slit and the scroll is opened. No wonder the universe burst with praise. Christ left the throne of God to become the Lamb slain. And on that day it will not be the loyal few it will be myriads on myriads of voices focussed entirely on the King who died for us. When we gather in this place as the redeemed people of God and lift our voices in song we already join in this new song we are to burst forth with thanks and praise for what Christ has done. Note what kind of death this was. His was a bloody death You purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Blood is a symbol for death. His death paid our ransom and set us free. His wounds for my soul. Charles Wesley said it best: Arise, my soul, arise. Shake off thy guilty fears. The bleeding sacrifice In my behalf appears.

14 Before the throne my Surety stands. My name is written on His hands. He ever lives above For me to intercede, His all redeeming love, His precious blood to plead. His blood atoned for all our race, And sprinkles now the throne of grace. Five bleeding wounds He bears, Received on Calvary, They pour effectual prayers; They strongly plead for me. Forgive him, oh, forgive, they cry, Nor let that ransomed sinner die. The Father hears Him pray, His dear Anointed One; He cannot turn away The presence of His Son. His Spirit answers to the blood, And tells me I am born of God. My God is reconciled; His pard ning voice I hear. He owns me for His child; I cannot longer fear. With confidence I now draw nigh, And Father, Abba, Father, cry. His was an effective death. Men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation are purchased. Heaven is filled with men from every nation and time and place. His blood availed for them. His was a purposeful death. They are purchased for God and the Lamb. The whole reason for creation and redemption is to have a people who will give glory to God and the Lamb throughout all the ages. Brothers and sisters, I am shattered when I am confronted by those who claim the blood of Christ for forgiveness and then turn around and live for self and the devil rather than to the glory of Christ. This is incomprehensible! We were purchased for Christ. We are to live for Christ. We are to savour Him forever. His was a triumphant death. Because of his death, we shall reign forever in triumph. We shall become a whole new race and reign with the Lamb that was slain. No wonder there is great rejoicing.

15 Even on earth we should be rejoicing. Finally, John looks again and he sees a fourth symbol: The Angels Declare God s Praise For Redemption Verses 11-12: 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, 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! The Lamb is worthy to receive this seven-fold acknowledgment of His attributes. He was worthy before the cross. But the cross showed the selfless love, the sacrifice, the mercy, the grace of the Lamb. And all eternity will cry: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! Christ is our life, our heart our all. This Lord s Day is a foretaste of glory. We gather this day to cry: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! And we cry it every day and throughout eternity. It is our life. Verse 13:

16 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! The whole universe joins in the adoration of the Lamb. The universe groans in travail awaiting the final day when the fall shall be reversed. And finally that day will come. In Colossians 1 we are told that Jesus will reconcile all things to Himself. Here we see the day when that happens. And the universe erupts in praise. Verse 14: And the four living creatures said, Amen! and the elders fell down and worshiped. The Lamb will triumph. And I can t wait. Brothers and sisters. We turned on our TV s yesterday and things looked grim. Sin and Satan seem to have this world in a vice-like grip. As well we struggle with our own sin and the sin of our brethren. And there are days when we feel like weeping with John because sin and Satan seem triumphant. But, this passage tells us that sin and Satan will not finally triumph. Why? Because of Calvary. For there Christ triumphed. For there He became worthy to enact God s plan of judgment and redemption. Dealing with sin is nearly impossible but our God does the impossible. This world will end in only one way the triumph of the Lamb. The day is coming when every knee will bow every atheist knee, every Muslim knee, every Jewish knee every knee and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Christ will triumph! And all heaven and earth will recognise His triumph. And on that day, you and I will sing in unfettered praise: To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honour and glory and dominion forever and ever.

17 Whenever I struggle. Whenever the world looks bleak. Whenever I need my vision reoriented to heaven. I read these words and know what the future holds. This world may look bleak at times but because of Calvary the triumph of the Lamb is most assuredly coming. In this God you can trust. We believe this. And as a sign of our faith, we regularly gather around His table to remember what He has done. The Lord s Table is a very simple affair. Bread, a cup. Symbols which remind us of the death of the Lamb for us. It is a time when we stop and pause and think back to the cross. The time when the sinless Son of God gave His life for us. The innocent dying for the guilty. His blood shed to wash away our sins. His life for ours. His death sets the world right. As we saw tonight it is by His blood that we are ransomed. He overcame by dying. He will set this world right. We believe that He will return the final seal will be opened and evil will end and righteousness will reign. That is why we gather and remember this until He comes again. We believe this God is one we can trust. It is a time for the family of God to gather. If you don t know Christ please allow the bread and the cup to pass you by. If you do know Jesus then rejoice for the Lamb has won. To help us meditate on these truths, I have chosen a song that focuses on the cross Thank You For The Cross Lord. This song sums up our faith and our hope. I am going to ask the men to pass among us with the bread and the cup. As they do let us sing and reflect on the glory of the cross.

18 Paul wrote this: For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me. In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord s death until He comes. As we remember the Lamb who was slain let us eat and drink together. Prayer. B17 Before the Throne of God The Scroll Contains God s Plan Of Redemption The Mighty Angel Reveals God s Solution For Redemption The Lamb Accomplishes God s Victory Through Redemption The Angels Declare God s Praise For Redemption