We'll turn to the book of the Revelation, the chapter number five. The book of the Revelation, chapter five. We'll only read the opening five verses. It'll be sufficient with regard to this message today. So, Revelation, chapter five, and the verse number one. Let's hear God's word. And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within, and on the back side sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book? And alas, the seals are off. No man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not. Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof. Amen, we conclude there. Let's briefly engage in a word of prayer together, our loving Father. We now commit, Lord, the preaching of the word to thee. Help me, Lord, I pray. May we see our Savior again in all of his glory and all of his majesty. Grant, Lord, our hearts to be taken off to him. We realize, Lord, that he is the joy of his people, the very source, the fountainhead of his people. And Lord, we pray that we might draw from that fountainhead, that our thirst might be slayed as we drink, dear God, from the fountainhead that is Christ. And grant, dear Father, our souls to be well watered. And may our barrenness be replaced with fruitfulness as we consider him, who loved us and gave himself for us. We pray these our prayers in and through the Savior's precious name. Amen. Well, this afternoon we have returned to the book of the Revelation to consider another of the titles that are attributed to the Son of God that is found within this wonderful book of the Bible. Last time we thought about Christ as the Lamb. And we took time to trace those references to the Lamb that we find throughout the entire book of the book of the Revelation. You may have noted that on that occasion I skipped down to the verse number six in order to speak about the Lamb, but I want to return now to the verse number five because we missed one of the titles and we did it deliberately. because we were coming to our communion service and I thought it would be good to consider the Lamb in all of His glory as we find Him revealed to us in the book of the Revelation. But today we're going to think about another title, a title that is given to us in the verse number 5. When one of the elders saith unto John, Weep not, behold the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof. Today we're thinking about that title, the lion, the lion of the tribe Now for many years, the lion has been described as the king of the beast. And rightly so, whenever you come to consider the power of such a majestic animal. In Proverbs chapter 30 and the verse number 30, we read that the lion is described there as the strongest among the beast. Let me read that verse. A lion which is strongest among the beast. and turneth not away from any. A lion is not an animal that you want to see coming down the road at you. Certainly a lion is a ferocious animal, an animal of great power. There's so much symbolism that is caught up with lions, resulting in them being employed by kings and rulers to symbolize their majesty and their strength. For example, with regard to the lion's strength and courage, that caused it to be used as the insignia of the Roman legions. We all know that the Roman government was known by its eagle, and the eagle was placed at the top of its insignia, its banner, but on those banners there was embroidered a lion. to denote the courage and to denote the strength and the power of the Roman legionaries that were following after that insignia or after that banner. We think of lions, they were supposed to be wise animals, just animals, possessing spiritual powers that were equal to their physical attributes. And therefore, for that reason, the pharaohs of Egypt were sometimes pictured as lions. And English kings, they used lions as their emblem. You think about our British royal family. Think about their coat of arms. You look at their coat of arms tomorrow. Look it up and you'll find a lion. on the left-hand side and a unicorn on the right-hand side. The lion on the left-hand side, the unicorn on the right-hand side. Many rulers, including Alexander the Great, were depicted wearing lion's heads. on the coins minted during their reigns. In the modern state of Israel, the lion still remains to be the symbol of the capital city of Jerusalem. If you find a flag in Jerusalem, the Jerusalem flag, we understand that the Star of David, a blue Star of David, denotes the nation of Israel. But the city of Jerusalem is depicted by a blue lion. a blue lion as its crest. And on the coat of arms of the city of Jerusalem, there is the lion. And so there's much symbolism with regard to this thought, this truth here, the lion of the tribe of Judah. And we're simply going to consider two matters this afternoon. I want you to think first of all with me, in the first instance, the spiritual significance of this title. The spiritual significance of this title, The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Now whenever you come to study the Scriptures, the law of first mention is critical. When it comes to our understanding about any word or any doctrine that we meet in God's Word. The law of first mention is simply the principle that is used by biblical hermeneutics, that's simply the study of scripture, that states that the first time a concept, a theme, or a word appears in the scriptures, it now then sets the precedent for its further development in the text that comes thereafter. And so whenever you meet the word for the first time, it really sets the precedence of how you're to consider it whenever you meet it again in the entire scriptures of truth. And really we want to look at that and apply that law. And in order to do that, we want to look at the first time the word lion appears in the scripture. I wonder, do you know where you'll find it? Well, you'll find it in the first book of the Bible. So turn from the last book and turn to Genesis 49. Now we're going to spend a little time here in Genesis 49. So I would appreciate it if you did turn there. I want to bring a number of thoughts. with regard to the first mention. And as you turn there, let me set the context for you. Jacob is coming to death and he gathers his 12 sons together. He's already spoken to Joseph privately and his two boys. But now all the 12 boys are gathered round, those 12 children of his, his 12 sons. And he's now coming to utter his final words. This is his last will and testament. We could put it like this. And he's going to speak, and he's going to speak prophetically. And he comes and he speaks first of all to the firstborn, obviously, Reuben, and then to Simeon, and then to Levi, but then he comes to his fourth son, Judah. And this is what he says to Judah in verse number eight. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise. Hands shall be in the neck of thine enemies, thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp. From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, note his condescension. He couched as a lion, as an old lion, who shall rouse him up the scepter. shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh, or the one who brings peace, as the term suggests, the name suggests, the one who brings tranquility, as the name suggests, the one who brings rest, as the name suggests, until Shiloh comes, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be binding his fold onto the vine, and his ass, his colt, unto the choice vine. He washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. Now, we read there, as Jacob speaks to Judah, in verse number nine, he says, Judah is a lion's whelp. Well, what is that? Well, a lion's whelp is simply a cub, a young lion. Simply a lion's cub. That's all that is being spoken of there when we read that word, the lion's whelp. Now if Jacob's son, Judah, is called a lion's whelp, then is it not fitting, is it not fitting to refer to the greatest descendant of Judah as being the lion of the tribe of Judah? Yes, Judah is a lion's whelp. Now we come to see the lion himself, the lion of the tribe of Judah, who is Judah's descendant, but none other than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You see, Jacob is looking down through the telescope of human history to the very moment whenever the Messiah would come to live on this earth, the one who would bruise Satan's head and through whom all the nations of the world would be blessed. You see, it was out of the tribe of Judah that the Lord Jesus Christ would arise and that he would save his people from their sin. Now there's a number of things that I want you to notice with regard to Jacob's prophetic utterance here in Genesis 49 as he begins to lift the veil, as he begins to reveal to us some things about the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to consider first of all from Jacob's words, the lion, as the praise potentate. Now Jacob, or Judah, was Jacob's fourth son. Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, Judah's older brothers, all forfeited the right to head up the family because of their sins. That lot now fell upon the fourth son, Judah. Judah was going to assume the role that really Reuben should have taken, but Reuben, because of his sin, he forfeited that role along with Simeon and Levi. He had another role to play within the nation. But Judah was going to assume the role in Jacob's family after his death. And Jacob, he comes to hint at that with regard to what he says in the verse number 8. Judah, or Jacob, he comes to predict that his fourth son, Judah, would become the object, the focus of praise with regard to the leadership within the family. He would become the object of praise as the leader or as the potentate of the family after Jacob's death. This is speaking about this lion's wealth. The lion would become the object of praise. Brethren and sisters, is that not what we find in Revelation chapter 5 with respect to Judah's greatest descendant, the Lord Jesus Christ? Do we not find him as the object of praise? Do we not find him there as all praise being directed to the lion of the tribe of Judah as the four and the twenty beasts? Sing a new song on to the one who is found worthy to take the book and to list the seals are off. Look there at the verse if you want to turn back to Revelation 5. We'll come back to Genesis 49, but here we find them singing. We find in verse 11, And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. Yes, Judah was to become the object of praise within the family of Jacob, but Judah's greater son, Lord Jesus Christ, should be the object of the praise of his people. It is a reminder to us that all praise should be directed away from self, No praise should find an object upon which to rest in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, directed away from self, directed away from our fellow man, and directed on to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God, in the trinity of his sacred persons, is worthy to be praised. The lion, the lion is the praise potentate. Something else from Jacob's prophetic words that we come to see, we see that the lion is depicted as the lawful lawgiver. Jacob goes on to say in verse 10 of Genesis 49, With God given insight, Jacob saw the future kings of Israel coming out of the loins of Judah and out of his descendants. And more importantly, he came to see that the king of kings would arise from out of that very tribe, the tribe of Judah. He who is the root of David, from out of the root of David. That's what John goes on to say in verse number five of Revelation chapter five. He speaks of Christ being the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David. In a day when parliaments were non-existent, kings, were the sole architects and were the sole executioners of the nation's laws. What the king said was final. He dictated the law, he saw to its execution, he was the lawful and sole lawgiver, and here we find Jacob depicting that and speaking about that, the scepter not departing from Judah, nor the lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh came. What a picture that is of Jesus Christ as King. He is the sole lawgiver of his church. Oh, may we ever remember that all His laws, they proceed from His loving heart. They're framed with a view to the good of His people and for His own glory. We need to ask ourselves the question, since Christ is the lawful lawgiver, since Christ is the one who dictates and the one who gives His commandments and His laws, we must ask ourselves the question as believers, as those who have come under His reign, How compliant are we to those laws? How compliant are we to the law giver? Maybe the question that needs to be asked is how do we view His commandments? How do we view God's law? I'm speaking to God's people here. How do we view God's commandments? Do we consider them as being harsh, restrictive, antiquated? Maybe you view them as being obsolete, no longer in vogue, no longer in play, as it were. Or like the apostle John, can we say that his commandments are not grievous? God's commandments are not grievous. You see, your view of God's law, my view of God's law, and why they were given to us will determine our adherence and our obedience to them. we come to see that his laws are for our good his commandments are for our good and for our benefit then we will happily and gladly yield ourselves to his commandments we will give ourselves to obeying his laws and to his statutes we are not lawless believers oh we're not under the law as to its condemnation But we are not of those who believe that the law of God is to be thrown out and we live our lives as we please. No, we submit ourselves to His commandments. We submit ourselves to His laws and to His statutes. Now, child of God, I ask you again, how compliant are you to the law of God? If you love me, keep my commandments. What about God's law regarding His day? What about that one? Oh, there you go again, preacher. Yes, I go again because I need to. On God's day? The Lord's day? Do you employ it in the worship of God? You're not here on Sunday night, where are you? Where are you? On the Lord's day, where are you? Where are you on the Lord's day morning? Where are you? Well, I understand that there are those at times who are sick. Others are aged. Ah, they would love to be here. I saw many of them this week. They would love to be in God's house. I understand that. But where are you as a healthy-bodied individual? Where are your children? Where are your children? On the Lord's Day evening? On the Lord's Day? Oh, surely you would want to remember the Sabbath day, keep it holy. Surely you would want to obey His law. He's the lawful lawgiver. It's not the laws of the church. It's God's law. God's law. Oh, to adhere to the law of God. I tell you, it'll bring you into joy and happiness as you obey the Lord. Oh, to obey the Lord in these things. So the lion, he's the priest pontentate. We see him there. We see him as the lawful lawgiver. Let's see a third thing about this lion. He is the substitutionary sacrifice. In Genesis 49, in the verse, 11, Jacob was clear, 20, 20 vision, looks ahead to view the lion from the tribe of Judah. Notice what he says, binding his foal onto the vine and his asses caught onto the choice vine. He washed his garments in wine and his clothes in the blood of grapes. You think of those initial words. You Bible scholars, you'll know. You men, you ladies that know your Bible, You'll know well the words that will turn you to Zechariah. In the book of Zechariah, chapter number 9, you think about the words concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Zechariah 9, verse 9, Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, behold thy king cometh. There he is, there's the king coming on to thee. He is just and having salvation lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon the colt, the fault of an ass. And what do we find Judah saying here about Judah binding his fold onto the vine and his ass's coat onto the choice vine? I just wonder, is that a prediction with regard to Jesus Christ entering into Jerusalem on the final week? Do you remember, he comes and what does he ride upon? He rides upon the coat, the fold of an ass. That's what he rides upon. And here he comes on, he goes on to say that Judah, there's reference here in this verse about Judah washing his garments in wine and his clothes in the blood of grapes. Oh, is that not a reference to Christ's substitutionary death? These words in verse 11, they bring to mind the prophetic words of Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah 63 verse 3, when the one returning from Bosra with thy garments, he gives this response to the poised question in verse 2, wherefore art thy red and thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth the wine fat? He responds with these words, I have trodden the winepress alone, And of the people there was none with me, for I trade them in mine anger and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. The lion of the tribe of Judah was slain on the cross of Calvary. All who trust in him are redeemed by his precious blood. Oh, I ask you, sinner, today I speak to you Who is not yet converted. I asked you the question, what are you going to do with your sin? What are you going to do with your sin? How are you going to see to the forgiveness of your sin? I trust that you know that you'll never enter heaven with sin to your account. So I asked you again, not to labor the point, but because it is critical, what are you going to do with your sin? You see, the only thing, the only appropriate thing for you to do is to give your sin over to Christ. Hand it over to Him and allow Him to forgive and pardon and to cleanse you from your sin and then to credit to your account His perfect righteousness. Better side with the lion now. than to meet him in all the ferocity of his wrath and the fierceness of his wrath when he comes to judge the world. Better meet the lion now. Better meet the lion now. And so we think there of this significance. And so as John speaks, he's really speaking, he's referring back to the one who would arise from the tribe of Judah. He's speaking of Christ. There's a biblical significance, a prophetic significance. As John now addresses this one who takes the book and opens the seals thereof, he speaks of Christ. But moving on to our second point, let's think about then the symbolic significance of the title. Whenever I was in Bible college, I had the privilege of having Dr. Douglass bring God's word to us. And the first, he was the principal, that was occasion. he spoke to us about being soldiers of Christ and on that occasion he just simply put it out to the brethren who were present on that occasion to throw out some associated words that you would refer to whenever you use the word soldier and some so some people they spoke about being loyal others brave and then he would have then just off the top of his head He would have just simply spoke for probably 10, 20 minutes with regard. There's words associated with other words. And I thought about some words that are associated with the word lion. And I'm sure they come into your mind. I think, first of all, about the word power or strength. Lions are known for their unparalleled strength. With their enormous muscular bodies and their powerful jaws, Lions possess astonishing strengths. The bite force of a lion, and you individuals that you know something about pressure. A bite force of a lion alone measures about a thousand pounds of pressure per square inch. Now you compare that to an adult. An adult has about a hundred and twenty PSI. So you're talking about ten times the strength of a human bite. And you brothers who had your sisters bite you, and I know you sisters bite. because I had a sister and I probably bit her. Well, you can understand what a bite of a lion must be, the strength of it. The strength of it, it signifies how far superior these majestic creatures are in raw strength compared to human beings. A lion's inherent strength makes it one of nature's most formidable predators. So strong are they that they can drag a 600-pound animal that they have killed considerable distances to feed themselves and their dependents. Need I remind you of the power of the lion of the tribe of Judah? We see it on full display on every page of the gospel records. We've used power to heal the sick. cause the blind to see, to raise the dead to life, to calm the stormy waves, to hush the howling wind, and most importantly, we come to see his power to save sinners from their sin. Sinners like Mary Magdalene. Oh, what a woman of great inequity she was. Zacchaeus, the adulterous woman, the woman at the well, the dying thief, his power to save, But I must remind you that though he has power to save, he has also power to destroy. He has also power to condemn. His power to see to the sinners everlasting destruction and hell fire. You may think that's very blunt. You may think that's very crass language for any preacher to use, but it is the truth and that's why you're told by the Savior in Matthew 10, 28, to fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Fear Him. Fear Him. Do you fear God? You fear the one who at any moment could convey that soul of yours out of your body and to transport it into God's great eternity and have it cast into hellfire. Do you fear God? Child of God, I want to remind you who John is writing to here. He's writing to people who are being persecuted, people who are being murdered for their faith. People who were maybe individuals who knew their own human weakness. Here's the power of Rome coming against us. And they were maybe individuals that understood their weakness and their limitations. And what does John do? He says, behold the lion. Behold the lion. Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah. Behold him. or draw fresh strength from Him. Look to the One who's invested with infinite power. Look to the throne. Look to your Saviour, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Look to your beloved Saviour who overcame his foes at Calvary's cross. Look to the One who's coming again. Look to the Lion. Behold the Lion. Notice what it says in the verse number 5. Behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed. Hallelujah. The lion has prevailed. He's prevailed. Oh, you're looking to the lion. Another word that comes when you hear the word lion is the word courage. There's a famous book published in 1900. It has a cowardly lion as one of its main characters. As you know, a cowardly lion is a contradiction of terms. Lions are supposed to be known for their courage, not their lack of it. But that lion in that particular book, it had no courage. It was always fearing, cowering away, always doubting its own ability. But not so with the lion of the tribe of Judah. Oh, he is possessed with a courage like no other. His courage, see him as he courageously Goes out of Gethsemane's garden to meet that rabble of men who had come to arrest him and to hand him over to his enemies. See him as he treads the road to Calvary. See him as he marches up Calvary's hillside. See the courage of the Savior, the Lion. He's going forth courageously to meet the foe. Oh, He's not shrinking back in fear. No, rather He's filled with holy courage. He faces down every foe. He triumphs over every adversary that dares go toe-to-toe with Him. See Him as He marches heroically to the cross. Watch the Son of God journey courageously to the arena of conflict and come forth as the conqueror. We find courage personified in the Son of God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. As we view the courage exhibited by the Son of God, well, we are to exemplify that courage in our daily battles. And we have daily battles, child of God, with the world and the flesh and the devil. Consider the many times that God's people, in the word of God, is encouraged to be of good courage. And the reason for that often repeated frame is because we often so lack in that Christian virtue of courage. And we're not alone in this. Moses, he wasn't very courageous. Oh, I can't do that. He tried to talk himself out. of doing God's work. Elijah, he's found under a juniper tree having run away from Jezebel. We think of Gideon. Well, he's threshing corn in the wine press. He's, as it were, a coward, we could say on an occasion. Think of the Savior's disciples. They all had episodes in their lives when they lacked courage. I tell you, there's times I lack courage. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it. That courage I often take great heart in Gideon. Oh God, if you can use a man like Gideon with little courage, you can use me. You can use me. I wonder, is there something on the horizon of your life and your fearing? Oh, let me encourage you if there is. Let me encourage you with the words. In Deuteronomy 31 verse 6, Be strong and of a good courage. Fear not, nor be afraid of them. For the Lord thy God, he is he that goeth with thee. He will not fail thee nor forsake thee. The third word that comes to mind, it's one o'clock. Think of the word majesty. As I've already mentioned, the lion is known as the king of the beasts, or it's known also as the monarch of the forest. Thus the animal has become an emblem of keenly authority and terrifying power. Many royal households have incorporated the motif of a lion into their coat of arms to depict the majesty of the office they now hold. Richard I, you all know him by a different name. He's known as Richard the Lionheart. Richard the Lionheart. He was King of England between 1188 and 1199. And why was he known as Richard the Lionheart? Because of his great reputation as a military leader and as a warrior. There's something just majestic about a lion. Isn't that the case? Whenever you go to the zoo, and probably Belfast Zoo, they probably have donkeys in Belfast Zoo. You don't go and see the donkey. You go and see the lion. You go and see him. There's something glorious whenever that lion stands on its feet, on its four feet, and it shakes its large mane. There's something majestic about the lion. Aye, and there's something majestic about Jesus Christ. He is the altogether lovely one. He is the fairest, and he is the chiefest among ten thousands. Oh, I wonder, are you still in your sin today? Oh, that you would fall at his feet as you view him by the eye of faith and all of his majesty and of all of his glory as John did in Revelation chapter 1. Surrender your life to him. And for those who know the Savior, oh, that we would see more and more of his majesty. Peter. He spoke about the majesty of Christ that he saw on the Mount of Transfiguration many years after he wrote his first epistle, or second epistle, 2 Peter 1 verse 16. He spoke about the majesty that he saw on the Mount. Oh, to see the majesty of our Savior. I tell you, that'll stir us to serve the Lord. That'll stir us to be faithful to him, to see his majesty. The fourth word that springs to mind, it's my last word, it's the word roar. Roar. Did you know that a sound of a lion's roar can reach up to 114 decibels? That's akin to the noise level of a chainsaw. Lions roar, it's a fearful display of their dominance. Commands a person's attention. By roaring, lions establish their presence. They signal their territorial boundaries. They gauge the strength of the opposition of rival groups. I'm informed that a lion's roar, now listen to this here, a lion's roar can be heard by humans up to nine kilometers, 5.6 miles away. You know how far that is? That's from this church to Resharkin. You can hear a lion's roar. Most of the references to lions in scriptures are all about the roar, about their voices. Job 4, verse 10, the roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion and the teeth of the young lions are broken. Proverbs 19, 12, the king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion. 1 Peter 5, verse 8, be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking who may be made of our. Did you know that the voice of God, the voice of God is spoken off in terms of the roar of a lion. Hosea 11 verse 10, they shall walk after the Lord. He shall roar like a lion. When he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west. Amos 1 verse 3, the Lord will roar from Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem. When the lion of the tribe of Judah roars from his holy mountain, creation trembles. Demons flee and Satan cowers in terror. Listen to him as he roars from off the cross. Not a roar of pain, but a roar of victory. It is finished. He cried with a loud voice. It's the lion roaring from off the tree. It is finished. At that moment, the power of the adversary was broken. At that moment, sin was vanquished and sin was put under his feet. But you know something about a roar of a lion? It's not only terrifying, it's also comforting. What do you mean? Well, the roar of a lion helps the members of the pride to locate each other. Especially whenever visibility is poor at night, When a member of the pride, the lion pride, they look for others, they'll roar loudly and then they'll listen for an answer. You see, what happens whenever the lion roars, the family, the pride is brought together, gathered together. And in the gospel, the lion roars. In the gospel he roars. The roar of the lion of the tribe of Judah is heard. His voice is heard in the gospel, calling men and women, boys and girls, unto himself. And whenever the Savior speaks, the sinner can do nothing else but come. They're gathered on to him. Oh, I wonder, do you hear the roar of the lion? What does he say to you today? He says, come, come to me. Come and I will give you rest. Come and be reconciled to God. Come and be cleansed of your sin. Listen to his voice because if you feel to listen to his voice and if you feel to come to him and believe in him, you are going to meet this lion in judgment. Sinner, And I say this reverently, this is no tame pussycat that you're going to meet in judgment. This is the lion of the tribe of Judah. This is the one who has promised to devour and consume all his enemies, and you are presently one of those enemies. Oh, that today you will become a friend of Christ in the gospel. Jonathan Edwards, he said this, if you do come to Christ, he will appear as a lion in his glorious power and dominion to defend you. All those absences of his in which he appears as a lion shall be yours and shall be employed for you in your defense, for your safety and to promote you to glory. He will be as a lion to fight against your enemies. Oh, let me encourage every child of God to behold the lion and to behold him because he hath prevailed. He's triumphed, he's conquered, he's vanquished, he's overcome. The one that you have pledged your allegiance to is not one who has been overcome, but rather it is one who has overcame, the one who has prevailed. And so whatever that enemy is or whoever that enemy is that's opposing you and whatever difficulty you're passing through, whatever battle you're struggling with in your Christian life, let me encourage you to behold the lion who has and who will prevail. Oh, what a revelation we get of our Savior here in Revelation chapter 5. We see the lion in his might and his majesty. But then John goes on to speak about the lion, and that pictures us of Christ in his meekness. The majestic, the mighty lion is also the meek and the merciful Lamb. Oh, would you not come to Him today? Would you not surrender and follow after the Lion and after the Lamb? Oh, that we would all, every child of God, maybe follow hard after Him in these days. And may we not be found following after earth's transient positions and earth's unsatisfying Child of God, behold the lion of the tribe of Judah. He has prevailed and will forever prevail. Let's bow our heads in prayer together. I asked, if you're not a Christian, does it terrify you that you're going out to meet this lion? I trust it does. If you need help with regard to spiritual matters, speak to me at the door. As you make your way out, come back in again. Sit in your pew. Seek the Lord. Call upon him. He'll hear your cry. He calls you today to himself. May our hearts be encouraged as God's people as we follow after this lion. Our loving Father, we rejoice that we have got one who takes the lead in all battles that we face in life. We thank thee, Lord, that we're not following after some weak, some impotent, some powerless individual, but we follow after the lion. And what a one he is. Oh, we pray that thou wilt help us, Lord, in these days to serve the King and to follow after the Lamb. The Lion of Judah shall break every chain and give us the victory again and again. Oh, may the Lion tread through the streets and the avenues and the cul-de-sacs of this very town. He come, Lord, to capture the sinners in the gospel and bring them to himself. And then may they look upon him not no longer as it were the lion, but as the lamb, that meek and gentle lamb, that little lamb, as the very word suggests, the little lamb. Oh, how glad we are of our great God, of the great Lamb, and yet His meekness and His tenderness to us. Bless, Lord, our fellowship again this afternoon, Lord, as the men will go to bring the word to the town, and then tonight in the gospel. Oh, help us, Lord, we pray. Oh, let us not be lethargic. Let us not be slack. Lord, may we be busy. May we be found in the house of God, giving all the day over to Thee, as Thou has directed us to. Oh, help us, therefore, we pray in this matter. And guide us, Lord, in the affairs, O God, of our lives. We pray these are petitions in and through the Savior's great and precious name.