HE IS WORTHY
Revelation 4 & 5
'After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.
Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.
The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 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 is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME."
And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "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."
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 the 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, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God, with Your blood, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped.' NASB95
As we look to the book of Revelation this morning, we see that the Apostle John had been exiled to the Isle of Patmos 'because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus' as he wrote in chapter 1 and verse 9. It was the 'Lord's day' and John was meditating on the things of God.
While meditating, John received a series of visions from God which are contained in the book we call Revelation. These visions were intended to show John and his 1st century audience (and us by extension) things relevant to their lives and laying out what would be happening in the days to come.
You see, as the gospel was spreading after the ascension of Jesus, there was a vast effort to thwart this new movement. That effort had begun in earnest at the cross when the religious and political leaders believed that if they could kill the leader of this movement, they could end the threat to their own system of religion. So they crucified Christ on a cruel cross.
But God had a different plan written in a scroll from the beginning of time, and the Apostles and Jesus's disciples, empowered by the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts, began spreading the good news of Jesus across the known world at that time.
And as the Apostles and disciples became bolder in their message, the powers that be became more and more determined to snuff out this teaching at any cost. Most of the Apostles and many of the disciples were tortured and killed for their boldness in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus. John's audience, as well as he, were facing tribulation as is evidenced in Revelation 1:9 where he identifies himself as 'I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom…'.
And when we look down through history, we see that Satan and his minions and allies have been and are still attempting to obliterate the teachings of the Bible and those who proclaim the Gospel from not only society but also from history by rewriting history. We in America fail to fully understand the depths of tribulation believers in some areas of the world face.
One of our mission partners, Pastor Adams and his family, serve in the most dangerous country on earth for Christians. A massive amount of believers have been killed and persecuted in Nigeria according to recent surveys. They know very well the tribulation the early church was experiencing.
And John was writing to the early church, represented by the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3. It is not random that Christ dictated letters to 7 churches.
In Revelation, the number 7 speaks to perfection, completeness or fullness so in choosing 7 churches, Christ is in effect speaking not only to them but to the fullness or completeness of the church at large - including Norwood.
And to understand parts of our text today, we need to understand that the book of Revelation is written in a genre called apocalyptic literature. What does that mean?
Apocalyptic literature was very popular before and during the time of the early church. This genre involves much symbolism, word pictures and images. In apocalyptic writings, among other things, colors, objects, lists and numbers have great significance.
Unless you understand that Revelation must be read in a way different from most parts of scripture, you will be lost, confused and perhaps misled. A very large part of this book references the Old Testament. In fact, of the 39 books in the Old Testament, 30 or more are quoted or alluded to.
So when we see in chapter 1 that Christ is described as '...one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.'... when we hear that, we have to understand that this symbolism is coming from the Old Testament and has significant meaning. But that's for another time.
So, what was the overall purpose of John writing to these saints who were in tribulation? What is the purpose of the book? It's not to scare them. Not to necessarily warn them. Not to confuse them. Not to create a puzzle for them to put together.
The primary purpose was to encourage them. Believers, particularly those in tribulation need to be encouraged to look for their Hope; look past the tribulation and see that being encouraged and holding fast is worth it.
John writes at the very beginning of the book in chapter 1:3
'Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.' - an indication that the book of Revelation is not to be ignored.
And then again at the end of the book, the Lord says in chapter 21:7 'He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son'. Jesus says in verse 12 of chapter 22 "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me…' and John writes in verse 14 'Blessed are those who wash their robes'.
So, that is just a little background of what John's audience was to understand. And that is what we need to understand as well.
Let's look at a bit of what John saw as he was exiled on Patmos. Let's re-read in Revelation chapter 4:
'After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."'
The Lord God Almighty was sitting on His throne in the great throne room of heaven and in this passage, John was summoned to heaven in the spirit by the first voice he had heard earlier. So, let's look back again to chapter 1 verses 12-18 to see whose voice he had first heard.
'Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades."'
This is none other than Christ Himself. He is the One who has called John to heaven to see the divine plan unfolding. Jesus has called John into the very throne room of heaven, into the greatest worship service recorded in all of Scripture.
Let's look at what this worship service around the throne was like in John's vision. THIS IS A BIG VIEW OF A BIG GOD. Picture with me a grand worship service led by Christ Himself, in the throne room of heaven, focused on the worthiness of God and the Lamb.
THE CALL TO WORSHIP
At the beginning of this Worship Service, we see in chapter 4 verse 8 the THE CALL TO WORSHIP
Let's look at Revelation 4:8
'And the four living creatures (or heavenly beings), 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 is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME."'
This harkens back to Isaiah's vision of the Lord in Isaiah 6:2-3 where he writes
'Seraphim stood above Him (God), each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said,
"Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory."'
While there are seemingly two heavenly beings in Isaiah's vision, in this Call to Worship in Revelation, we see that there are four heavenly beings whose role is to wait upon the Divine One on the throne.
This quartet of beings are calling out 'HOLY, HOLY, HOLY - a threefold proclamation of the Holiness of God. A Trinitarian affirmation of the perfect holiness of God Himself.
The concept of the number 3 in scripture is quite often symbolic of the completeness of God's perfection.
In addition to the three 'Holys', in this 'Call To Worship' in Revelation we have another beautiful example of this same concept.
First, we see the word 'HOLY' which speaks to God's perfection. Secondly we see in their description 'THE ALMIGHTY', an indication of God's Omnipotence and thirdly we see the phrase 'WHO WAS AND IS AND IS TO COME' which is God's eternality.
We see this idea over and over again in Revelation where there can be multiple patterns and symbolic references in the same verse or phrase.
This concept reminds me of a toy I had as a youngster called a kaleidoscope. In one end of the tube I would put different small objects then look, from the other end, through the toy at a light. Then through the use of a series of mirrors inside, as I looked towards a light and turned the lower piece, the captivating and colorful pattern would change with each turn of the tube. I was looking at the same objects, just from several different angles..
Likewise, there are many things in Revelation that give a different facet of the same event or phrase. This is just one example.
So, in the 'Call to Worship' of this worship service, we see four participants - the heavenly beings that are attending to the throne of the Almighty God proclaiming God's perfect holiness.
THE SONG OF CREATION
Next we proceed to the THE SONG OF CREATION
As we move on in this worship service we read in Revelation 4:9-11
'And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "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."'
We have moved from this quartet of heavenly beings praising God on the throne in the Call to Worship to now 24 elders beginning to praise Him. Who are these 24 elders? There is much debate over who they are so let's dig in a bit here. As we saw earlier, numbers have symbolic meaning in many places in scripture, especially in the apocalyptic genre in which the majority of Revelation is written.
The number 12 quite often represents complete representation and God's perfect governmental authority. We see it in the 12 tribes of Israel - not only in how God intended Israel to be governed but also indicating the completeness or entirety of Israel in the Old Covenant
In the New Covenant, we see it in the 12 Apostles where Christ chose 12 men to be the foundation for the completeness of the New Testament church. And when Judas betrayed Jesus, God had them choose a new '12th' apostle to maintain the ordained structure. The Apostles were to be, initially, God's authority in the early church.
It is my interpretation and that of many others, that the 24 elders represent the completeness of the body of Christ - 12 multiplied by 2 - to represent a doubling of the completeness of the divine order for the church.
In this we have a beautiful picture of the Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints being represented by these 24 elders falling down, casting their crowns and worshipping God on His throne.
In this song, we see the focus begin to shift from the worship of God on His throne to include the worship of the Son, Jesus Christ for we will see that, although God is the ultimate creator, all creation was accomplished through Christ. Here we begin to see the unity of the Father and the Son.
Secondly we need to look at what they are saying in this Song of Creation. They cry 'Worthy are You, our Lord and our God' acknowledging that not only God on His throne is worthy but also validating that Christ is not only their Lord but is indeed, God Himself as they cast their crowns before His throne.
Not one of them clutches his crown and says 'This represents what I have accomplished. This is my possession. Instead they all willingly recognize under whose authority they received any crown as they cast them at His feet.
This is the same Christ Who, in John 10:30 said of Himself while in the form of a man, 'I and the Father are one.' Multiple times He claimed to be the great I AM. And now in heaven's throne room, the representative elders are, indeed, proclaiming that He is God.
Thirdly, after the heavenly beings give God GLORY, HONOR, and THANKS in the Call to Worship, we see the 24 elders ascribing to Him GLORY and HONOR and POWER. These are not just a random collection of three things. These are another use of three attributes to symbolize the completeness of His deity. Another incorporation of Trinitarian language - the GLORY of God, the HONOR of the Son and the POWER of the Spirit.
And fourthly in this Song of Creation, by their crying 'for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.' we see them proclaiming what John had already written in John chapter 1,
'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.'
The Apostle Paul also wrote in his epistle to the Colossians in chapter 1 verses 15 -17,
'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.'
Listen!! Can you hear the Worship Service expanding from the four heavenly beings in the Call to Worship to now the 24 elders praising and worshipping in the Song of Creation? Can you begin to see Who is Worthy? How can we not glorify and worship the 'uncaused cause' of the creation of all that exists?
But, as wonderful as this Song of Creation is, it is surpassed in beauty by the next song.
THE SONG OF RE-CREATION or REDEMPTION
Now listen in this heavenly Worship Service to THE SONG OF RE-CREATION or REPEMPTION as it unfolds.
However, before we go on with the heavenly worship service, we need to look at a magnificently pivotal interlude scene in our text where a scroll is seen by John in the hand of the One who sat on the throne. From this point on, the book of Revelation becomes deeply comforting for those who have been purchased with the blood of the Lamb.
This scroll or book is written on both sides indicating that it contains the entire message or the entirety of God's redemptive plan. It is full and it is sealed by Almighty God.
This full book is sealed with seven seals indicating that the book is complete and unchangeable. Remember the number seven is symbolic of perfection, completeness or fullness and here it is the completeness of God's plan.
Is John excited that he will be privy to see what is in the book? No, he is devastated and begins to weep because a strong angel asks with a strong voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?"
Then John says in Revelation 5:3 - 5,
'And no one in heaven or on the 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;
But wait— 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."'
Can it be that 'the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David' can open the book? Is He the one that is worthy?
Note that it is not the 'strong angel' who tells John that the Lion can open the book - it is one of the 24 elders - a representative of the church of the redeemed elect.
Now, John has heard that this Lion can open the book but when he looks, he sees a Lamb as if it had been slain. Not a clean, pristine lamb but a torn and bloody perfect lamb but living, having overcome death.
The One Who can break the seals is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins from His elect. This is the Lamb Who has the power to break the seals because He was sacrificed on a cruel cross to take the punishment from a just God as a propitiation for our sins. This is the One who is worthy.
Now, back to the heavenly Worship Service where we see in Revelation 5:8-10,
'When He (this Lion/Lamb or Jesus) had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."'
Now the four heavenly beings plus the 24 elders join their voices together to form a choir of 28 representing the saints. They fall down before the Lamb.
This is a Song of Re-creation for they sing to the Lamb
"You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."
Not only is this Lamb, or Jesus, the one who created all things but He is also the One who, through His death, re-created His children to be a kingdom and priests, fit to reign with Him as royalty. This is the one Who is worthy to remove hearts of stone and change them to hearts of flesh.
And He is worthy to form His church with people from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. Four types of people. In Revelation, the number 4 symbolizes the entirety of the earth such as the four poles (North, South, East, West) as in Psalm 107 2-3:
'Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary and gathered from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.'
We also see 'the four corners of the earth' as John writes in Revelation 7:1
'After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.'
Christ redeems the elect from these four categories of people encompassing people from the entire earth - not just from Israel, but from everywhere.
THE SONG OF PROCLAMATION
As this heavenly Worship Service progresses, we hear THE SONG OF PROCAMATION
This worship service began with a Call to Worship by four heavenly beings followed by a Song of Creation by the 24 elders. Then they joined together to form a choir of twenty eight to sing a Song of Re-creation.
Now let's read about the next portion of the service in Revelation 5:11-12.
'Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."'
Listen as the worship swells. This choir of four heavenly beings and 24 elders are now joined by 'many angels'. And not just 'many' but myriads of myriads. What is a myriad? A myriad is a large, indefinite or innumerable number.
So here we have myriads (or an uncountable amount) of an uncountable number. And if that isn't clear enough as to the size of this choir, add 'thousands of thousands' to that.
This isn't the first time we read of a massive angel choir? The Lord tells Job in Job 38 about the creation '...when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God (or angels) shouted for joy.' And, do you remember in Luke 2:13 at the humble birth of this Lamb? 'And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God…' But those groups are dwarfed by this throng.
Do you get the picture? I don't think our finite minds can comprehend the true size of this choir proclaiming 'WORTHY IS THE LAMB'.
Not only are they simply proclaiming 'WORTHY IS THE LAMB' but they reiterate that this Lamb was slain. This is the Lamb Who was sacrificed for our redemption.
But of what is He worthy according to this song? He is worthy to receive POWER, RICHES, WISDOM, MIGHT, HONOR, GLORY and BLESSING. Is He worthy of more than those things? Absolutely. So why this list?
If we count the things He is worthy to receive, we count seven things - POWER, RICHES, WISDOM, MIGHT, HONOR, GLORY and BLESSING. Let's review what we saw at the beginning of this message. We saw that 'In Revelation, the number 7 speaks to completeness or fullness' so we see that these seven items are symbolic of the completeness of ALL of which He is worthy. They are proclaiming that this Lamb is completely God and completely worthy of our complete worship.
This is the Lamb of God. This is the Lamb for Whom a marriage feast is, even now, being prepared. For we see in Revelation 19:7-8 John writes
'Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.'
What a magnificent event we will be participating in. The Lamb, in all His beautiful splendor and us, His bride 'clothed in fine linen, bright and clean', which is the robe of all the righteous acts we have done in His name. Will you be ready for this wedding feast? Feasting on the riches of Christ Jesus?
SONG OF BENEDICTION
And finally we arrive at the SONG OF BENEDICTION of the Worship Service.
We have seen this worship service grow from 4 participants, to 24, then to 28 then to myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. As if that isn't large enough, we now include 'every created thing'. Let's look at Revelation 5:13
'And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, (did you count four things there? -remember 'entirety') and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."'
There is only one entity that is now not participating in this worship service. And that is the object of the worship. The only non-created entity is 'Him who sits on the throne, and .. the Lamb', God Himself. All creation is now bowing down in worship and proclaiming that the Lamb is worthy to receive BLESSING, HONOR, GLORY and DOMINION.
To those who have NOT come to Him and been redeemed by the blood of this Lamb, you might be saying, 'I won't be bowing down and proclaiming those things'.
But let me read to you what Paul wrote in his letter to the believers in the church at Philippi in Philippians 2:5-11
'Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.'
Whether or not you acknowledge Him now, you will someday. On the coming 'Day of the Lord', at His second coming, He will return to claim His bride, pour out His wrath upon sin, eternally glorify His children and eternally condemn those whose names are not written in the Book of Life to their rightful punishment.
John 5:28-29, Acts 24:15, I Thess 4:13-5:3, Matt 13:41-43, Matt 25:31, I Thess 1: 5-10
On that day, you will bow and you will acknowledge that The Lamb of God is WORTHY. You will recognize that He is worthy and that you are unworthy of anything except spending an eternity in hell paying the penalty for your sin. It will be too late for you.
I beg you that if God is drawing you to Himself, you will seek out one of the elders or someone who you know is a child of God and talk with them about the destiny of your soul. Yield and cry out to Him Who is Worthy.
Revelation chapters 4 and 5 leave no doubt that Jesus is worthy. Worthy of what, one might ask? Worthy of everything we are not. We are merely worthy of destruction.
We are born sinners and only through the mercy and the grace of God can we even be counted as joint heirs with the Lamb. God determined from the beginning that His Son, Jesus Christ would take on the form of a man, suffer and die as a propitiation for OUR sin.
Christ is worthy and His worthiness should break us as we see our unworthiness.
But believers, don't let that diminish the joy and anticipation we should find in the fact that HE IS WORTHY. And, if you are one of His, He is also yours.
Be encouraged in your struggles, trials and tribulation for He is Worthy and He is the Victor. And as we see all throughout the book of Revelation, He loves, cares for, and protects His own - even when circumstances appear otherwise.
He has conquered death and the grave and will judge and find guilty evil in the end and He will reward His own. How much more encouraging can anything be than that.
But we cannot dare to neglect preparing our garments for that wedding feast we mentioned. His worthiness should not be something we acknowledge and then just put on a shelf only to pull it out again next Sunday. It is something we must keep ever present in our personal lives, our families lives and in our church's life.
We read in Romans 13:14
'But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.'
One might say 'I don't lust after anything'. But what do we place in a higher position than 'He Who is Worthy'? Entertainment? Friends? Family? Vacations? Money? Things? … Ourselves?
Why is Christ worthy?
Christ is worthy because He is God. John 10:30
"I and the Father are one."
Christ is worthy because He is the slain Lamb. Isaiah 53:7
'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 shearers, So He did not open His mouth.'
Christ is worthy because He is the mighty warrior. Revelation 19:11-16
'And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."'
Christ is worthy because He is our Great Shepherd. Revelation 7:17
'...for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.'
Of what is Christ worthy?
Christ is worthy to be worshiped. Revelation 5:12
'...saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."'
Christ is worthy to be served. Colossians 3:17
'Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.'
Christ is worthy to provide His righteousness to the elect in exchange for our guilt. 2 Corinthians 5:21
'He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.'
Christ is worthy to protect God's elect through tribulation and guarantee their security eternally. John 16:33
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
Christ is worthy to defeat Satan and evil once and for all. Revelation 20:10
"And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
Christ is worthy to judge the unbeliever and separate them eternally from God and to eternal punishment. John 12:48
Jesus says 'He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.'
So, what do we do with this? We need to be in a constant state of re-evaluation.
Do we live as if 'HE is worthy'? Or do we live as if WE are worthy? Do we live as if we are even now practicing to participate in this heavenly worship service we have examined this morning?
Do we worship the Lamb Who is worthy or do we worship this world's systems, attractions and entertainment with their hatred for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?
We will never acknowledge His true worthiness until we live in a way that we are continually praying as David did in Psalm 139:
'Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.'
And finally…can we see the majesty and beauty of Christ in this worship service around the throne? This is not a story that could someday occur. This will be our eternal existence in Glory - worshipping God and His beautiful Lamb who has redeemed us in ways we may never fully comprehend. And how encouraging that is!!
But we need not wait for heaven. What is your worship like here, this side of eternity? Worship Him now with your life because He is Worthy.
Christian, do you struggle in trials and tribulation?
- Be encouraged when you read how He is the Victor.
- Be encouraged when you read how He loves and defends His children.
- Be encouraged when you read how He keeps His own and will ultimately reward the faithful.
- Be encouraged when you see that you have an invitation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
- Be encouraged that The Lamb slain for you is also The Lion of the Tribe of Judah Who is also your fiercest defender.
- Be encouraged because He is Worthy.
Questions to consider…
- What is the significance of the number seven in the context of this sermon, particularly regarding the seven seals on the scroll and the seven attributes ascribed to the Lamb in Revelation 5:12?
- How does the sermon interpret the role of the twenty-four elders in Revelation 4, and what does their representation of the Old and New Testament saints signify about the unity of God's people?
- In the sermon, how is the progression of the worship service in Revelation 4 and 5 described, from the Call to Worship to the Benediction, and what does this progression reveal about the worthiness of Christ?
- According to the sermon, why was John weeping in Revelation 5:4, and how does the revelation of the Lamb as the one worthy to open the scroll address the concerns of John and the early church facing tribulation?
- The sermon highlights Christ's worthiness in multiple roles (e.g., God, slain Lamb, Mighty Warrior, Great Shepherd). How do these roles encourage believers facing trials and tribulations, as emphasized in the sermon's conclusion?
