So we're gonna look together for a few minutes tonight at Revelation chapter five. So you wanna turn there and follow along, you may, or just listen with your ears. But this, what we're about to read, is a vision that the Apostle John received about the worship that is going on in the throne room of God right now, of which our worship here tonight becomes a part of. So as we read along with these words, just picture yourself as part of that throng of worshipers, worshiping the Lamb, Jesus Christ. So Revelation chapter 5. I always have people stand for the reading of the word, so you just did that by yourself, so thanks for doing that. Let's honor God as we stand at attention and listen to his word. John says, 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. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 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. 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. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 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. 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 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 blessings. 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. And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped." And this is the Word of the Lord. You can sit down. Amen, that's good. So I wonder what it would be like to ask one question of people in the Bible, if I could ask that question. And I think the question I would ask is, was it worth it? Was it worth it? What would it be like to ask Abraham? Hey, Abraham, was it worth leaving your home and everything familiar and everything you loved to spend your life wandering as a stranger all for a single child and an unfulfilled promise? Was that worth it, Abraham? Or what would it be like to ask Moses? Hey Moses, was it worth leaving the treasures and pleasures of Egypt, a position of power and prestige? Was it worth carrying a whining people on your back through the desert for 40 years only to end up dying before you even made it to the promised land? Was that worth it, Moses? Or to ask Jeremiah. You know, Jeremiah, was it worth devoting your one and only life to a preaching ministry that never seemed to make a dent, never won a convert, or changed a single life? Or what would it be like to ask Mary? Mary, was it worth conceiving a son out of wedlock and pour your heart out in love for him only to have him grow up and say that the real members of his family are those that do his will? And then in the end, to stand helplessly by and watch the son that you had given birth to and raised and nurtured and tucked into bed at night, then die on a cross? or to ask the Apostle John, who wrote the words of the Scripture that we just read a few moments ago. John, was it worth it? I mean, spending your old age when you ought to be surrounded by your children and your grandchildren, you know, instead, rotting in a Roman prison, chained to a hostile guard, stuck on an island? You know, was all that worth it, John? Or take it a step deeper. I wonder if you've ever asked that question of yourself. Have you? Is it worth it to make the financial sacrifice in giving to God? When you could just keep the money and buy things that you want and maybe need so badly? People around you are making and keeping and spending a fortune. Why not you? Is it worth it to go on serving when you feel tired and unappreciated, feels like somebody else is getting all the recognition and not you. Is it worth it really to obey God? Is it worth it to always tell the truth when you know a lie could get you out of trouble? Is it worth it to share the gospel with a friend when you know you might be rejected? Is it worth it to worship and learn here on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings and other times when it would be just easier to stay home and relax? You ever ask those questions? I do. I do an awful lot. Especially when things aren't turning out the way that I want them to. Especially when things are going badly. I think underneath all of the questions I have is this really basic and foundational question about the Christian life. Is it worth it, really? Is this all really worth it? Well, I want to tell you tonight what I believe is the truth from God's word, what I believe to the core of my being and what I'm willing to stake my life on. I believe that one day you and I will stand before the one that we have served with our whole life. And on that day, think of this, on that day, he will look you in the eye. And then you'll know. And then you'll know. On that day, every doubt and question will be blown away, and you will know that it was worth it for one reason. Not because it was easy or fun or led to accomplishments that were real visible necessarily, but you will know that it was worth it all because at the center of human history stands a lamb who was slain. And I'm here to tell you tonight, he is worthy. He is worthy. He is worthy of every act of obedience ever offered to Him. He is worthy of every temptation ever resisted. He is worthy of every song of worship ever sung. He is worthy of every tear of repentance ever shed. He is worthy of every ounce of labor ever expended. He is worthy of every drop of blood that every martyr has shed across this globe for 2,000 years. He is worthy. I'm telling you, He's worthy of my life. He's worthy of your life. He's worthy of this church's life. He's worthy. And it's this vision that John pours out with such power in Revelation 5. He says, I saw a scroll. Now we need to talk about the scroll for just a minute because it's one of the great images in the book of Revelation. He says that this scroll was sealed with seven seals. Now the one document that was done for in John's day was for somebody's will. And so you might think of the scroll as God's will for the earth. And of course, the scroll contains God's judgment for all that has been and His plans for all that will be. And the scroll contains some wonderful things for some folks and contains some quite sobering things for others. But it's God's plan to set this world right. There's a scroll, friends. And what that means is that there's a meaning and a purpose behind this world. There's a story that God is writing and that He is moving forward. Although we're left very often with those gnawing questions, you know, of why? You know, why this and why that and why? But I'm telling you, one day there's going to be an answer. This world is not a random accident. There's going to be an answer for every why. There is a scroll, friends. And what that means is there is a meaning and a purpose to all of this. And whoever has the scroll has the ability to rule the earth. Whoever holds the scroll has the ability to fulfill God's purpose for the entire human race. And then comes this question when John sees the scroll. You know, who's worthy to open the scroll? Who's worthy to rule the earth? Who's capable of setting things right? Who's able to answer all of those whys? And the answer comes back to him, nobody. Nobody's worthy. And of course, right, this is our pain. Throughout human history, you know, we anoint kings and we elect presidents and we hope, you know, and trust that maybe this time, you know, this time, this time we're gonna get it right. You know, this time peace and justice and righteousness are gonna triumph. But they don't, do they? You know, they never do. You know, forget about the rest of the world. I make plans. I form resolutions, and I have good intentions, and I vow, if I can't change the world, at least I'll change my own life. At least I'll write my own story. I'll create my own future. But I can't do that either. And that's why John weeps. He weeps for the failure of the whole human race. He weeps for the beauty of the world that could be, but is not. He weeps for his own failure because he's not worthy. Friends, listen, if you've ever wept, if you've ever laid in bed at three o'clock in the morning, staring at the ceiling, weeping, because things have gone so badly, or you want so much to fix something, but you can't do it. If you've ever wept like that, then you've wept the tears of John. That's what the weeping is about. And then one of the glorious elders comes to John and says, hey John, Do not weep, for there is one who is worthy, there is one who is able in God's eyes to hold authority and to rule the earth. And then John looks and he sees a lamb. And over and over and over the song is sung. He is worthy. He is worthy. He is worthy to redeem the world. He is worthy of giving my life to and yours. And in just the few minutes that we have left tonight, I just want to show you, at least from this passage, why He is worthy. He is worthy of everything that you can give Him. Every ounce of your devotion and every beat of your heart. So listen. First of all, if you're still looking at verse 9, this great song of the worthiness of the Lamb, it says, Now isn't that a striking thing to say? A strange thing? In fact, you're worthy because you were slaughtered. Now, of course, the use of that term, slaughtered or slain, is very significant. It's a term that comes from the Old Testament, and it was a word that was used to describe sacrificial animals that were born and bred to be slaughtered. And now that word applies to Jesus. He's the one who's slaughtered and slain. And of course, you know, going back to that prophet Isaiah, you remember from that wonderful chapter 53 of Isaiah, Isaiah even looked forward to this, you know, when he said that he will be pierced for our transgressions and he will be crushed for our iniquities and he will be led like a lamb to the slaughter. And so I just want to talk to you just for a moment about what it is that Jesus suffered for you that makes Him worthy. Because you see, Jesus was not just another martyr. Other people have suffered physical torture for even longer periods of time than Jesus did. And some of them faced it with calm or even joy. Now in the Garden of Gethsemane, we get a picture of the suffering of the lamb. And you see the extent of his anguish. This is not the picture of a calm person going to martyrdom, is it? Jesus tells his disciples that he's overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of grief. He's in such agony, we're told, that he sweat drops of blood. And Jesus begs his father, let this cup pass from me. Now what's the cup that Jesus begs to be released from? And I don't believe that it is simply physical suffering. That alone is not what makes the Lamb worthy. I mean, Jesus displayed great courage in His life. No fear, that's not what this is about. Other martyrs went to their fate sometimes with utter fearlessness and defiance. You know, I think of Stephen, right? In the book of Acts. But here's Jesus, sweating, prostrate on the ground, begging to be spared. Why? I believe it's because the cup that he was to drink, listen, the cup that he was to drink was not the cup of physical suffering and pain and death. It was not the humiliation of being mocked by the crowd, but it was, it was the spiritual agony of bearing upon himself the sins of the whole world, yours and mine. Just think for a minute. Think for a minute about some time when you sinned. And your sin was real serious. And you see it clearly. Remember what you felt in that moment? You know, just think about the most painful guilt that you've ever had. Maybe when you betrayed somebody that you loved, or you lied, or you stole, and you were just in agony over this. And then multiply that one experience by thousands of other sins in your life. And then multiply that billions of times over for the sins of the whole world. You know, the guilt and the horror of every sin deceit and gossip and the devastation of war and prejudice, the whole sordid history of human fallenness. And then imagine one person experiencing within himself the indescribable nightmare of all that guilt and all that remorse as if he had done each one of those things himself. the wrath of God directed at that one person, at that one moment in history for all of that sin. That's the cup that Jesus begged to be spared of. And now, imagine that burden falling upon the heart of someone who had never known the slightest feeling of guilt, had never known a second's separation from the Father. And yet he cries out now, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And then you begin to understand what Paul meant when he said, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming the curse for us. He who knew no sin became sin for our sakes. Here's the point. He drained the Father's wrath. The cup of the Father's wrath He took so that you and I could be wholly free. You will never face God's wrath. Did you know that? You will never face His wrath. You will never do that. All you will ever know is the smile of God. from all eternity, His grace, His love, His deliverance, in spite of all the sins that you've committed, you will never experience the wrath of God or the devastating punishment for all of that sin. You know why? Because He took it. Because He took it all, all of it. And the elders and the angels see the extent of such love and they cry out, He is worthy. You are worthy for you were slain so that we could be free. All right, there's a second thing, second thing that makes Him worthy. The Lamb is worthy because He was slain, and then it says, you are worthy because by your blood you purchased for God men and women. You purchased them. Now, this is a major theme in the New Testament, that the Lamb is worthy because He gave His life as a ransom for many, and that's Mark 10.45. Now in John's day, people were quite familiar with this ransom idea. For example, if somebody became a slave, like if they lost a war or something, their freedom would be set at a price called a ransom price. And theoretically, they could buy it back. But of course, slaves didn't have much earning power. Somebody else might come along and pay that price and set them free, but that didn't happen very often. And so slaves generally lived and died their whole lives long knowing that that ransom price and freedom was just a price away, but they couldn't pay it. They'd never pay it. They would die slaves. There's kind of a modern picture of this. Well, it's almost 30 years old now. Anybody remember the movie Schindler's List? Remember Schindler's List? Okay, probably one of the most graphic and just emotionally charged World War II movies ever, right? Schindler's List. But it's the story of this guy, remember, named Oskar Schindler. And he sees this whole race of people that's headed for destruction. But he's got money. Right? He's got money and he uses his money to bring these people to his factory to buy human lives and save them from death. And there's this one scene in the movie where he's got this whole group of people who are coming to his factory, but their wives and their children are on another train headed for the concentration camp. And so Oskar Schindler goes and he meets with this German officer and he sits down behind a little desk and he pulls a bag of diamonds out of his pocket and he dumps them on the table. And he says to that German officer, he says, I want to buy those people. I want to buy those people." The German officer scoops up the diamonds. That train with the wives and the children is diverted from the concentration camp and comes to his factory. Moving scene, right? And then at the end of the movie, the war is over, the concentration camp has finally been liberated, and Oskar Schindler is surrounded by these hundreds of lives that he saved. And then the thought just hits him. of all those lives that were lost. And he just breaks down. He says, I could have done more. I could have done more. I could have sold my car. Why did I keep the car? 10 people. I could have bought 10 more people. He takes a pin off and he says, two more people, two more people. I'd give up everything, he says, to buy every life I can. And the Bible says that when you see that, You see something of the heart of God. God who says, I would give up everything I have to buy every life I can. For you were bought at a price, Paul says. Listen to what Peter says. He says, for you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. Jesus bought us. He said, I want to buy those people. Now, you just think of it, because we were headed toward a fate, if you can imagine, worse than a concentration camp. And Jesus says, I want to buy those people. And he shed his blood and he died for us. And we became members of his family. And the train was diverted. And now we're headed for heaven at His home. And the elders and the living creatures see the Lamb who at the price of His own blood redeem and ransom men and women and they say, you're worthy. Not only did He ransom them, but look at what it says. It says, You ransomed men and women from every tribe and people and nation and language. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God." Isn't that an amazing thing? Because of what the Lamb has done, no more separation, no more hatred, no more conflict, no more Jew versus Greek, no more black versus white, no more Ukraine versus Russia. No more Israel versus Hamas. No more Republican, I guess, versus Democrat because God is making one people. And I'll tell you, there's something inside the heart of a Christ follower that wants to see those walls come down, right? Because there's something inside of us that wants to see all of that hostility come to an end and people from every tribe and nation and language bowing before the Lamb because we're going to be one step closer to being the church, the family that God always intended from the beginning when He promised Abraham in Genesis 12. Remember? Abraham, I'm going to bless you out of your mind, and you're going to be a blessing to the whole rest of the planet. And then that becomes the story of the Bible, doesn't it? And we're just reading the end of it here. The elders and the angels see the Son of God, the Lamb, ransom fallen human beings at the price of His own blood, people from every tribe and nation and language, to be a kingdom of priests, not slaves, not peasants. Such is the goodness of our God that He redeems us to be a kingdom of priests. And so they just fall down and they say, you're worthy. You're worthy. And then one more thing, a third thing, one more thing. And this is really good news. This goes back up to verse 5, if you're still looking. It also says that the Lamb is worthy because He, what's the word? Conquered. He conquered. Verse 5, don't weep for the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has Conquered. Now this is a very important word in the book of Revelation. It's a word that gets used to each of the seven churches when John writes them a letter. He says, to the one who conquers or to the one who overcomes. It's the Greek verb nikao. We get the word Nike from that, you know, as in Nike company. I don't know if any of you are basketball fans. I'm a basketball player. When I was younger, I was better. I was tall, but there's always this debate, right? Who's the greatest basketball player of all time, right? And it's always between these two people, right? Well, I have my answer, and so I'm an old guy, so you can probably guess, but can you think of somebody, can you think of who I might be thinking about, a conqueror? a warrior who wins and overcomes and who's associated with the word Nike and Nike company? It's Michael Jordan. For me, it's Michael Jordan. It's Michael Jordan. I don't know if some of you remember those days, those days, right, when it was late in the fourth quarter. Michael Jordan would get that look in his eye, right? And everybody else might as well sit down. Bulls win, bulls win, again. And they did it six times. The elder says, don't weep for the Lion of Judah, the Root of David. These are strong messianic terms from the Old Testament. Lion of Judah goes to the book of Genesis and it's a way of describing the people of Judah. Now it's being applied to the Messiah. The Root of David is what we read in Isaiah 11 just a few minutes ago about the king who would reign over a restored creation. But listen. He comes in the form of a lamb, a humble servant. John says, I turned, I looked and I saw a lamb. But what a lamb! Don't be deceived people. What a lamb! Because he could take a whip and clear the temple. He conquered guilt by entering the world and living a flawless life. He conquered the evil one by resisting his most enticing temptation in the desert one-on-one. He conquered sin by taking on death itself. He conquered mortality by rising from the grave. He spit death in the eye. What I like to tell my students about this is that he was a sheep with an attitude. And he got that look in his eye. He said, don't you mess with my people. Don't you dare mess with my people. And then that victory got transferred to you and me. Paul says, what shall separate us from the love of God? Will hardship or distress or persecution or famine or peril or sword? What's the answer? He says, no. In all these things, we are more than what? Oh, there's the word again, conquerors. More than conquerors through him who loved us. Now, I know people in the church of Jesus Christ, and we prayed for a thriving church tonight, because sometimes we look around and we go, oh my goodness, there's so much darkness. There's so much evil. There's so much brokenness. And there is, and there is, right? But here's the thing. We win. Jesus wins. The word is true, and that's what he says. We are what? Conquerors. And so we can go out tomorrow, roll out of bed, go to our job, proclaim the gospel, and be confident because we know where this is all going. And so the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has become the Lamb that was slain, and his death wounds become his crowning glory. Even in the throne room it says, I saw a lamb looking as if it had been slaughtered. Even there, his death wounds become his crowning glory. And now he says to John, this old man weeping in prison on Patmos, he says to struggling churches whose people are being martyred, he says to all who labor and are heavy laden, he says, listen, The Lamb was slain. He paid the price. He bought you back, redeemed you. He's conquered the dark powers and evil forces of our world. He's made you His sons and daughters. You are partners in His redemptive plan. Do you hear all of that? So let me ask you then, as we conclude here, what is worth living your life for? What is worth giving my life to? You know, is the Christian life, is life in God's kingdom and under His rules worth it? You know, is it worth it to give and serve and worship and pray and strive? Listen, friends, it's worth it. It's worth it. It's so worth it. He is worth it. And so here's what I suggest. I suggest we show Him. Starting now in this week, by the way that we work and live and worship and speak and act, let's represent this Jesus really well and show Him our gratitude and how worthy He is to be our Lord and Savior. What do you say? Let's do it and let's pray. Lamb of God, you are worthy to receive honor and glory and praise. And you are worthy to receive it from us. And so we give it to you. And we promise to honor you by the way that we live and speak and worship. We gladly honor you because you were slaughtered and you bear the marks of death for us. Lord, you are worthy because you ransomed us and bought us back and made us members of your family. And you have promised us that there is something far better than this world that we are destined for. And so as your people in your good world, we acknowledge your worthiness, Jesus, and we promise to represent you well in this week ahead. And we pray this in Jesus name.