Our text this evening is Revelation chapter five, verses one through six. And the title of the sermon is, the title of the sermon is Who is Worthy? trying to multitask and I'm not really that good at it. Um, so anyway, revelation five, one through six and the title of the message is who is worthy. So revelation four and five are two parts of one vision that's given to John. It's not the, we've already been through, a couple of different sections in the book of Revelation. We had his initial vision in chapter one, and then the dictation of the letters to the churches in chapters two and three. And then in chapter four, we shifted from the letters to the seven churches to this vision of the throne room of heaven. And in chapter four, John looks And it begins a new vision. He looks and he sees a door standing open in heaven. And then he hears the voice of the Lord, summoning him to come up here through the door. And immediately, John is transported through the open door into the throne room of heaven. And he's transported there by the power and the agency of the Holy Spirit. Immediately I was in the spirit. And that's all it says. Immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne. So the spirit immediately transports him. He's not physically, he doesn't move. He's transported spiritually through the open door into the throne room of heaven. And the first thing that John sees standing in heaven is a throne. And there's one seated on the throne whose appearance can only be described as pure, multicolored light. Well, Jesus is the door that John sees standing open in heaven. And it's his voice that summons John to come up here. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10, 27. Every work of God is a Trinitarian work. Everything that God does is ordained by the Father, carried out by the Son, and the Son carries the work out through the agency of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Christ indwells His people and causes us to dwell in Him. So when Christ summons His people, it's the Spirit that brings us to Him. And we know that. That's what we preach about salvation, that we preach the gospel and the Spirit of God brings you to Christ. The Spirit of God changes your heart. That is literally what happens. Whenever Christ's sheep hear His voice calling them, the Holy Spirit brings them to Him. Every work of God is a Trinitarian work. So the first thing that John sees when he sees heaven, when he sees the throne room of heaven, the first thing that he sees is that everything is under control. He sees the throne, an eternal throne standing in heaven. And there is one sitting on the throne who is light and in him is no darkness at all. No deviation, no shadow of turning, no deception. God is on the throne and God is good. That's the first thing that he shows John when he lets him see heaven and that's pretty telling. That's the comfort that God gives his children, that he is sovereign and he's good and we can trust him. And that's the first thing that John sees as well. And the rest of chapter four is a description of the heavenly court followed by praise and worship and doxology to God from the angelic beings that make up his heavenly court. The four living creatures that resemble both the cherubim and the seraphim that are described in Old Testament prophetic literature. They have Very strong characteristics of both. And then also the 24 elders and the rest of this chapter of chapter four is made up of praise and worship by these angelic beings. God is worshiped for his transcendency and eternality in chapter four, verse eight. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within, and day and night they do not cease to say, holy, holy, holy, which means transcendent, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come, eternal. In other words, God is worshiped simply for being God. And then God is worshiped because he is the creator and sustainer of everything else besides God. He's the only uncreated one there is, but everything else he has created and he sustains. And that worship is given in verse 11. Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created. And that brings us to chapter five. And the focus of John's vision in chapter four was the glory and majesty of the reigning triune God and the role of God as creator and sustainer of everything that is. That was the focus in chapter four. The focus of the vision in chapter five is gonna shift. Still the same vision, but the focus is gonna shift. And it's gonna shift to the redemptive purpose of God being worked out in history. Chapter five is particularly going to zero in on the role of the son in carrying out the redemption and the recreation that has been ordained by the father. That's the focus. The role of the son in carrying out the redemption and recreation that has been ordained by the father. So we're gonna read our text and then we'll get started. Verses one through six of chapter five. 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. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals? And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it. 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 its seven seals. And I saw between the throne with the four living creatures and the elders A lamb standing is his slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for showing us these things. We thank you for giving us glimpses into spiritual reality and giving us images that we can see with the eyes of our heart, the eyes of our understanding, that we can see something of your glory in your word. And Lord, we just ask that you help us to enter into this this evening, that you open this up to us and that you help us to come away with a deeper understanding and more reverence and awe for our Lord Jesus and what he has done and who he is. Lord, we thank you for these things in Jesus name, amen. So verse one, John says, 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. This is a, it's another parallel from Ezekiel's vision of the throne of heaven. We talked about that in our message last week that Ezekiel also saw a vision of the throne of God when he was called to be a prophet. And Moses did also whenever it came down on top of Mount Sinai. But this is a parallel from Ezekiel's vision of the throne of heaven and the glory of the Lord. when Ezekiel was commissioned to be a prophet. It's in Ezekiel, and I'm gonna read to you from Ezekiel chapter two, verses nine. I'm gonna read through three, three. So beginning in verse nine, Ezekiel says, then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me, and lo, a scroll was in it. When he spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning, and woe. Then he said to me, son of man, eat what you find, eat this scroll and go speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he fed me the scroll. He said to me, son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll, which I am giving you. Then I ate it and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. What Ezekiel sees and what John sees is not a book, it's a scroll. It's called a book, but it's not a book as we know it. A book like we know it is a book like this Bible. It's got lots of different pages bound together. But when they say a book, what they're talking about is a scroll. It's one really large sheet rather than a bunch of small sheets. It's one really large sheet with the writing all on it, and then it's rolled up. It's called a scroll. And Ezekiel's scroll symbolized the message that he was being commissioned to deliver to God's people. So Ezekiel was commanded to eat the scroll. It's kind of interesting terminology, isn't it? And you could apply that concept to when Jesus says in John chapter six, Unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Unless someone eats my flesh and drinks my blood, unless someone, it's very similar to what is being commanded of Ezekiel here, because Ezekiel is commanded to eat the scroll, meaning that he's to take it into himself. In other words, Ezekiel was commanded to internalize the message that God was giving him in preparation for delivering it to the people. Ezekiel was to internalize the message that God had given him. The Lord is telling us, unless we take him in and internalize him and his gospel, then we don't have any life in us. It's not just something out here. The message of the gospel has to be brought in and internalized. That's not really part of our message, but I just had to point it out because it's right there. Anyway, so Ezekiel is commanded to take the message into himself to prepare to deliver it to the people. Well, the scroll which John sees is also the message that John is to deliver to the seven churches, which just really means the church. The scroll that John sees is the message that John is to deliver to God's people. The church from chapter one, verse 19, he's told, therefore, write the things which you have seen and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things." That's what John is told. That's the content of the scroll. It's the things which have been, the things which are, and the things which will be. Well, both Ezekiel and John saw a scroll. Both scrolls were written on front and back, but there's one major difference between the scrolls. Guess what it is? Ezekiel's scroll is unrolled and spread out for him. The scroll that John sees is sealed. And not only is it sealed, it has seven seals on it. The scroll John sees is completely sealed. It's completely sealed. It's sealed by the Holy Spirit. And let's look at verse two. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals. In the ancient world, government documents and communications, letters between kings and rulers, were sealed with a wax seal that was stamped with the insignia of the dignitary, either the one to whom the document belonged or the guy who had created the document and was sending it to someone else. Most rulers, or many of them, had what was called a signet ring with their seal on it, a stamp. And they'd pour the wax on the scroll when it was rolled up and then stamp their signet ring in it. And so it was sealed with their seal. And by the way, that's where we get the word sign and signature, identifying who you are, who the letter's coming from. And the seal served a dual purpose. It identified the sender and it also ensured the security of the message. If the seal was broken by an unauthorized person, the penalty would be severe. John sees that the scroll is sealed. And a strong angel calls out with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book and to break the seals? This is a huge question. The scroll contains the redemptive purpose of God for all of history. The destiny of all creation is dependent upon the ability of the one who opens the scroll not just to read and understand what it contains, but to bring about what it contains, to bring about its contents, to bring it to pass. That's why the scroll is sealed with seven seals. The scroll is sealed by the Holy Spirit, and it can only be opened by one who is worthy. One who has the fullness of the Spirit is the only one who can open it. Verse three says, and no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or look into it. No one is found worthy. God's creation has fallen. Sin has come into the world and brought the curse of death with it. Everything in the cosmos is perishing. But God has a perfect plan to redeem, restore, and regenerate his creation. But there's a problem. There's not a single created being in heaven, even in heaven, on earth, or under the earth, who is able to, or worthy of, executing and communicating God's redemptive purpose. They're not there. So verse four, John says, then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it. John weeps because no one was found worthy to open the scroll, meaning to bring about its purpose. No one is worthy. No one is able to open the scroll. No one is able to bring this to be. And they're not even able to look into it. No one is able to communicate it. It seems to be a lost cause. The destiny of everyone and everything is in limbo. That's what John sees. John sees that death reigns. You know, Paul says in Romans, death reigned until Christ. Everything is in limbo. And that's the question, will death win? Well, verse five, Says, 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 its seven seals. We don't know how much time that John perceived to elapse in his vision while it was being determined that there was no one worthy anywhere to open the scroll. But it was enough time for John to begin to feel despair and to weep. So there's suspense, he's waiting. The angel, the mighty angel is called out. Who is worthy to open the book? And so they're standing there waiting and there's tension. And it's a long enough, at least John perceives it to be a long enough time that he perceives that nobody's worthy. And he begins to despair and to weep. However, it doesn't seem like once he began to weep that he was allowed to weep very long before one of the elders commands him to stop weeping. And he says, behold, Behold means see for yourself. So the elder's telling him to look. He's directing him to something else that he hasn't seen yet. He's telling him to look. Behold, see for yourself. The lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals. So in the Old Testament, in Genesis chapter 49, verses eight through 10, when Israel, or Jacob, Jacob was renamed, you remember, Israel, after he wrestled with the angel of the Lord all night. Israel's getting ready to die. And he blessed and he prophesied over all of his sons. And in Genesis 49, eight through 10, I'm gonna read it to you, he makes the comparison. And he compares Judah to a lion. Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's son shall bow down to you. Judah is a lion's welt. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. So, Jacob compares Judah to a lion and he prophesies that Judah will be the ruling tribe until the coming of Shiloh, which means the Messiah. So God's selection of David later on as king to replace Saul began the fulfillment of this prophecy. When Judah was carried off into exile in Babylon, it was like David's lineage was a tree, and it was a tree that had been cut down. See, David had begun this dynasty. Of course, it didn't last very long after David, David made one generation after David, and then after Solomon, the kingdoms immediately divided up after that, but there's still a Davidic king on the throne in Judah. But with the Babylonian exile and Judas carried off into Babylon, it seems like a tree that's been cut down and it's left only roots and a stump. But Isaiah foresaw a shoot that would spring up from the seemingly lifeless stem or stump and roots of Jesse. So I'm gonna turn now to Isaiah chapter 11. In Isaiah chapter 11 in verse one, it says, then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. And then in chapter 11, verse 10, well, So this shoot, Isaiah prophesies, will spring forth from the stump, from the stem, and from the roots of Jesse. But that shoot that springs forth from Jesse is also gonna be the root of Jesse, because it goes on down to verse 10, in chapter 11, verse 10, and it says, then in that day, the nations will resort to the root of Jesse. who will stand as a signal for the peoples in his resting place will be glorious. These promises find their fulfillment in Jesus, the Messiah. Listen to Matthew chapter one and verse one. Matthew one, verse one. This is the beginning of the gospel of Matthew, the record of the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. So these promises of God, this promise of this Messiah all along finds its fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus is the root of David. He's of the lineage of David according to the flesh. But is he the son of David? Well, think about it this way. First, let me read to you from Matthew again, Matthew chapter 22. Jesus brings that question up with some scribes and Pharisees in Matthew chapter 22, verses 41 through 45. It says, now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question. What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? They said to him, the son of David. He said to them, then how does David in the spirit call him Lord, saying, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I put your enemies beneath your feet. If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son? Of course, they couldn't answer him. No one was able to answer him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask him another question. The point that Jesus was making is he's not just the shoot, he's also the root. He is the heir of David, but he's also the source of David. He's the root. Jesus doesn't exist because of David. David existed because of Jesus. Jesus is both the root and the righteous branch. So what's the point of all that? Well, the point is no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll. No created being in heaven, on earth, or under the earth who was worthy to open the scroll. But Jesus has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals. He's not created. He's the eternal son of God who took humanity upon himself and stepped into time and space to fulfill the redemptive purpose of God in history. That's who Jesus is. Well, that's really not a surprise, is it? I mean, David was a lion of a man. And David united all of God's people the entire nation of Israel into one nation under one banner. And he was just a shadow of the Messiah who was to come. David was a lion, a mighty warrior. As a boy, I mean, he killed the lion and the bear, and then he killed Goliath with a sling and a stone, and he was fearless in battle. And he's just a shadow of the fierce warrior king who is going to come in the person of the Messiah. Now, just thinking about it like that should really give us some insight as to why the religious Jews had such a hard time with Jesus being the Messiah. So verse six, and I saw between the throne with the four living creatures and the elders, a lamb standing as it slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. So John looks and he sees. Standing with the cherubim, with those four living creatures, between the elders and the throne, right in the middle of everything, actually in the place of intercession, where you would go to make intercession, right there in between the court and the king himself. There stands a lamb. So when he looks to see that line of the tribe of Judah, He sees a lamb standing as if slain. Now, this is quite a contrast. The warrior king and champion of God's people, of whom David was a shadow, appears to John as the lamb that has been sacrificed. You know, they made the sacrifices yearly in the temple. They made sacrifices weekly. There were sacrifices probably daily, constant sacrifices in the temple. And they sacrificed these lambs. And John sees the appearance, not as a mighty majestic lion when he looks, but he sees a lamb. like a lamb that's been sacrificed, but yet is now standing in heaven. And listen to Isaiah 53, seven. This is how it describes the suffering servant who reconciles God's people to God. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearer, so he did not open his mouth. And then, of course, in John chapter one, when John the Baptist sees Jesus, he says, behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. And when he looks to see the lion, he sees the lamb. The fact that the lamb has been slain is actually the way that Jesus has overcome so as to open the scroll. Jesus has overcome, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has overcome so as to be able to open the scroll. And the way that he's overcome is by his death. Listen to what it says in verses nine and 10. And they sang a new song saying, worthy are you to take the book and break its seals, why? Because you were slain and purchased for God with your blood, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And you have made them to be a kingdom and priest to our God and they will reign upon the earth. You know that God uses that language of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. They're gonna be a kingdom of priests to God. And David, the shadow of Christ, he united the people of the 12 tribes of Israel together, but you know how he did it? He did it through war. He did it through conquest. He did it through being through temporal strength, through military might and prowess. You know how Jesus unites the people of God? He united by dying for them. He brought them together by giving himself for them. And where David united 12 family groups, one family together, in a nation. Jesus unites people from every nation, tribe, and tongue together in the nation of God, the true Israel, the Israel of God. He's united them all. And he's united them for that very purpose, that they will be a kingdom and priest to our God and they will reign with him. His death is the victory that makes him worthy to open the scroll because by his death, he has executed God's plan for redeeming his creation. And that's why, although he was slain, he is now standing alive forever. Here's what John's vision is demonstrating for us over and over again, over and over. When you're reading the Old Testament, wherever the Old Testament says lion, read lamb. Wherever the Old Testament speaks of the victory of the Messiah or the overthrow of the enemies of God, we need to remember that the gospel recognizes no other way of achieving these purposes than the way of the cross. That's the way God's enemies are defeated. Not by swords, by a sword, but not by swords, not by spears, not by horses or tanks, not by political parties. The enemies of God were defeated by Christ at the cross. Understanding that is the way to victory. When we read Revelation, and we're reading, and there's vivid imagery in Revelation of weapons, and warfare, and carnage. Those are visual metaphors. Our war is not physical and carnal. Paul says that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. He also says we war not against flesh and blood. The scripture tells us that over and over again. Our enemies aren't physical and neither are our weapons. Our enemies are spiritual, and the way to overcome them and achieve victory is spiritual as well. Listen to 1 Corinthians 1. 18 through 24. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside. Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of the age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom, that we preach Christ crucified. To Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. And then from Revelation 12, verses seven through 11, there is something here that tells us how the saints overcome. How do the saints overcome Satan? How do we beat the world, the flesh, and the devil? Well, we're told right here. It says, and there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war and they were not strong enough and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down. The serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come. For the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down. He accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the lamb and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their life even when faced with death. The lamb has seven horns. In the Old Testament, a horn is both a symbol of honor and strength. In the Bible's apocalyptic literature, horns represent powerful kings or powerful kingdoms, nations. The seven horns of the lamb signify his absolute worthiness. Seven means fullness, all of it. The Lamb's seven horns signify that all honor belongs to Him and that He has omnipotent power to open the scroll and bring about God's purpose. And He actually states that in another place in the New Testament in Matthew 28, 18, when He gives the the great commission passage. And this is the basis for him commissioning us to go out and proclaim the gospel. It says, and Jesus came up and spoke to them saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. It's all his, all of it, fullness. He has all honor and all authority, all power. And the lamb also has seven eyes, which symbolize his omniscience. He sees all, he sees everywhere, and he sees everyone, always. The eyes also symbolize his spiritual presence with all of his people, in all of his churches, everywhere, all the time. So it's omniscience. Because, and the reason is, because the seven eyes, like the seven lamps, symbolize the seven spirits, or the fullness of the spirit of God. In Zechariah chapter four, verse two, Zechariah has a vision of a lampstand. I'm not gonna turn there, but you can look it up if you like. Later on, in Zechariah 4.2, Zechariah has a vision of a lampstand with seven lamps that are like, it's like the lampstand that is pictured in Exodus that's in the tabernacle. And Zechariah has a vision of this lampstand with seven lamps there in chapter four, verse two. Well then on down in the same chapter, In chapter four, verse 10, the vision of the lamps are interpreted to Zechariah as being the eyes of the Lord, which reigns to and fro throughout the earth. So this is the imagery that John in his vision is applying to the lamp. This is what John sees when he sees the lamb in his vision. The one who's worthy to open the scroll has all power and knowledge extending to all creation for all time. He can say to his people, I know your circumstances. And he has the power to guarantee eternal life in his kingdom to everyone who overcomes because of the blood of the lamb and because of the word of their testimony and because they did not love their life even when faced with death. And you could say, well, I thought that to be a Christian, it just meant to believe. Yes, that's what it means to believe. What it means to believe is that you see Christ for who He is. You believe that He is this one, this Lamb, this Messiah, this Lion, and that you trust in Him. You believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who hold fast to Him. And when you believe Him like that, then that describes you. You will hold fast to him, you will testify of him, and you will value him more than life itself. And that's the message that the Lord has given John for his church in this passage. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for your encouragement in your word. And we thank you for these pictures that you've given us and for showing us the glory of your purpose in history and the glory of your salvation in your Christ. Lord, we just pray that you continue to open these things up to us and help us to grow and draw near to you. And we thank you for all of these things in Jesus name. Amen.