Let's pray together Our father we ask that you had opened our eyes that just like your servant John who wrote these words that were just red We would see marvelous things in your word this evening. We ask it in Jesus name. Amen Couple of weeks ago. I went on the mission trip to Houston with the Group of our church that went to the Center for Student Missions and on that trip We spent a Saturday with a really fascinating guy named Mike Mike was the head chef at the Star not at the star of hope at the where was Mike? At the salvation armies harbor lights facility. He was a graduate of their program their rehab program and he ran their kitchen In the in the midst of all the things that Mike did for us and sharing his testimony with us in Showing us the red snapper that he caught in the Gulf and in kind of directing us in how to serve food to the men that we're going to be coming for lunch that day He told us a story about how the harbor lights center received its renovation and the way that Mike told it was this that one day a Man Got off of the Metro bus right in front of the harbor lights center just like any other man had gotten off of any other bus Hundreds of times before he was sort of disheveled in sort of old clothes and he carried a sack of lunch in his hand And he went into the center and he went up to the front desk and he asked the person that was attending there if he could have a tour of the facility They were very gracious to him and so they gave him a tour of the facility at the end of the tour He thanked them graciously for their hospitality. He walked out. He got back on the bus and he drove away The next day Mike appeared again same clothes same Metro bus right off in front of the Salvation Army same sack lunch Well, maybe a different lunch, but he also he had had a sack lunch in his hand and he walked in and he said I'd like to make a financial gift to your facility and they said well, thank you We would love to accept any gift that you can give and so he gave them a bag and then he left and he got back on the bus and he drove off It wasn't until much later that in examining the gift they saw that this man had given them a financial gift of over one million dollars He looked like any other poverty stricken Houstonian, but in reality this man was quite wealthy Appearances can be deceiving can't they they certainly are deceiving when we come to this scene that's presented for us in Revelation chapter 5 and we find out that strength comes from weakness that the lion is actually a lamb and that the lamb is also a lion The book of Revelation is one of those books along with Leviticus that a couple of other books in the Bible that people come to and they just scratch their heads and they throw up their hands And they just want to give up reading because it's feel it's filled with so much It's just strange There are strange sites and there are all kinds of creatures and there are cryptic numbers flying around But in reality you don't have to fear revelation so much because at the very beginning in chapter 1 It's written as a letter John addresses this book as a letter to seven churches that are in what is now present day Turkey and he's writing them for a very practical purpose to encourage them to stand strong and not to give up their Devotion to the gospel in light of all kinds of cultural influences from the pagan culture that surrounds them And also the persecution that has come it is coming and will come to the church the means that the Apostle John uses to Communicate this is a it's called apocalyptic it is encompassed by Sites by visions by all kinds of images by all kinds of symbolic language The reason this is so is because the things that John sees he can't communicate in Narrative or in regular prose it's a mistake to treat revelation is sort of a code to be broken or a Mathematical equation to be solved. It's not that at all what revelation does is answer some very very basic questions that all of us ask Why even though I'm a believer in Christ if you are do I still struggle with sin in my life? Why when I look at the world and the trajectory that it seems to be going does it cause me to doubt? Which direction the world is going? Why does what the world holds out for me looks so Near and so enticing and why do the things of Christ look so far off and so bland sometimes even to produce doubt Revelation answers all these questions. It tells us exactly where everything is heading It is the vision of Christ's ultimate victory and the ultimate defeat of the devil and all of his agents It points to us a glorious future where the church will reign with Christ forever and ever without end But all of this is accomplished in a strange way It's all very surprising because Christ does not conquer through military power Christ does not conquer through strong armed politics Christ conquers Through the cross The ultimate symbol of defeat is in reality our only means of victory the lion is a lamb and The lamb is a lion and Revelation chapter four John has been taken up into the very throne room of heaven And he's participating in that worship service of all of the angelic beings and chapter five opens with the vision of a scroll It's sitting right next to the throne. It has seven seals on it And there's a strong angel that asked a rhetorical question who is worthy to open the scroll and to break it seals No one is found worthy There is no one in heaven or earth or under the earth that under the earth that is worthy to open this Scroll and this scroll contains God's sovereign plan for all humanity and when John the apostle here's this He starts to weep. He starts to weep wondering How is God's plan going to unfold if no one can open the scroll and one of the elders says weep no more because there is One who has found worthy to open the scroll and this is how he's introduced Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah the root of David. He is conquered So he can open the scroll and it's seven seals He has conquered the lion. He is worthy We expect in the very next scene to see this humongous glorious lion standing and roaring But that's not what we see Instead we see a lamb Lams are the weakest of creatures They put lambs in petting zoos for two year olds to feed. They do not do that with lions Lams are are if they're left to themselves unsupervised They wander off in all kinds of crazy directions lambs are very easy prey for predators in fact This lamb that we see in this vision has himself been victimized because we see a slain lamb This land was not devoured by a wolf. It was killed purposefully and this harkens us back to the old test But even the reading that we had from Isaiah this evening that is lambs who were slain to make atonement for sin This lamb has been killed the ultimate sign of weakness Yet we also see a lamb who is slain, but who is also Worshiped and this is where John's vision reaches really unexpected heights the lamb who is slain is counted worthy of the privilege of Opening the seals of all of history. He's worshipped with loud voices This must be a scene of incredible irony think of it every time you see in the Bible an angel coming down to earth The purse of that angel appeals to falls down thinking that it is God These angelic beings are bowing down to a slain Lamb worshipping him and of course this lamb is none other than Jesus himself him John the Baptist has called the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world? That's the way that Revelation five says the scene for us But why is this lamb? Why is Jesus worthy of worship? And if that's the case? What must our response be to him? Why is Jesus worthy of worship? Jesus is worthy of worship because he has defeated our ultimate enemy We may believe that our biggest problems have to do with time management or money management or hurting relationships or Fatigue or or sickness or grief, but really these are only symptoms of a much larger disease And it is this larger disease that Jesus came to conquer. What is it? What is Jesus conquered? Well, Jesus is conquered our ultimate problem that by virtue of the fact that we are born into this world We are born alienated from our creator This is what the 24 elders mean when they're singing their song of praise and they say you have ransomed people for God From every tribe and every nation and every language and every people We all know what a ransom is isn't don't we we've all seen those movies where somebody fabulously wealthy has been kidnapped and A ransom has to be paid the the ransom is with a kidnapper calls somebody and says if you do not pay me this much money I will do this and this and this with the kidnapping until that price is Payed to rescue that person from the dire situation that they're in this song of praise assumes that every single one of us is Held captive and in bondage to what the Bible calls sin I heard a friend Tell a story recently of a time that he went to a shelter where homeless women were being fed and merged and sheltered He went there to serve a meal and while he was there the director of the shelter Ask him if he would like to lead a Bible study this Bible study was completely Voluntary they were not compelled to do this in any way so after the meal They invited any who would like to stay for the Bible study to stay and the rest could leave lots of people left Some people stayed and they began to study the Bible together sitting around in a circle and as they were studying the Bible My friend noticed that every time he mentioned God's grace or his goodness or our need for Christ There was one woman who would sneer or scoff or even laugh Otably during those portions at the end of the study my friend asked if they would Like for him to pray for them if they had any needs or requests they would like to make to him and so they went around the Circle and and all of these women had multiple requests They were relishing in the chance for someone to listen to them and hear them and to pray for them and when he got to the woman who had been so agitated during the Bible study he asked her what about you? Do you have any needs that I can pray for and she slowly looked up from looking at the floor she looked at him with stone cold eyes And she just said coldly I need nothing I need nothing What is it that ultimately you need if you think about it deeply you may say the same thing I really need nothing I Live in this great country of America many of you are well educated you work hard What is it that you really need that is what Revelation is pushing us to see first? We have got to see this separation from God that we experience is real and it is Serious it is dangerous beyond measure to create God in your own image that he is a some kind of an impersonal force or a Kindly but but fairly a senile spirit in the sky or even non-existent if this is how you conceive of God The scriptures warn you because he is none of those things He's not tame. He's not safe But also Revelation is pushing you to see your need from someone outside of yourself to repair The relationship that is lost between you and him to rescue you from this predicament We are unable to escape this separation We do not have the means to think our way out of it We do not have the means to work our way out of it We do not have the means to do religious activity enough to get out of it We do not have the means to legislate our way out of it We are imprisoned bound and held in solitary confinement. We need to be rescued But how how can we be rescued? How has Jesus conquered? He's done it in the most surprising way just look at the song of the elders in verses 9 and 10 Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and By your blood you ran some people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation There are two things about this blood that we have got to see in order to understand our need and how Christ met at first This blood is sufficient. It is only the blood of Jesus that meets your ultimate lead need It is that blood that has prayed the price of ransom that released from your sins. There is nothing else No amount of money or success or beauty will pay that price No addiction to images or substances will erase your need for it. No amount of activity even ministry activity will substitute for it It is the blood of Jesus alone that conquers Second this blood is complete and this is important because the the elders do not praise Jesus for Potentially doing anything they praise him for accomplishing something by your blood. You have Ransomed it is complete Ransoming people from every tribe and language and people and nation This begs the question for us is this the reality that governs your life? Is there anything else that you try to substitute for the sacrifice of Christ to meet your ultimate need anything at all? It's so the scriptures warm you here are in a precariously Dangerous position the lamb and only the lamb has conquered and he has done so by shedding his blood Well, if that is the case what should be our response in light of this conquering lamb the vision of John enters this question as well our response is Worship Revelation chapter five is all about worship just look at the links that this passage goes to to to point out the worship That is due to this lamb whose blood was shed Versailles tells us that 24 elders fell down on their faces in front of him Although he was a grotesque figure they prostrated themselves before him which symbolizes his worth and Their unworthiness in light of who he is versus not intense that they sang a song Declaring his worth a verse 11 myriads upon myriads Thousands upon thousands joining this song and then in verse 13 every living creature in the earth above the earth and under the earth Presumably all of us join in this Acknowledgement of his rule in his reign in verse 14 the cycle of worship ends right where it begins the elders fall down again in front of him and worship worship is the only appropriate response for the type of sacrifice that the lamb has made in its sufficiency it is deep and wide enough to meet your deepest need to restore your relationship to God It solidifies everything else that follows in the book of Revelation the ultimate defeat of Satan the new heavens and the new earth are Eternity with God ruling and raining it with him without end in his completeness Christ actually Accomplishes what he sets out to do on the cross to ransom people from all times and from all places unto himself Are you moved to worship as you are confronted with the image of this slain Lamb in reflecting upon your greatest need in Christ's great provision Do you have the same reaction to these angelic beings do you sing loudly your praise to Jesus? Had you followed down before in recognition of his great worth and your great need of him Is there any higher priority in your life than recognizing that ultimate reality lies in who Christ is and what he has done and in nothing else? This is the meaning of the cross the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world The Lamb of God who takes away your Sins you may not recognize victory in sacrifice, but victory comes in unexpected ways The climactic scene and CS Lewis's great story the line in the witch in the wardrobe involves an unexpected sacrifice By the time you get to the middle of the story you have already met Aslan the majestic Lion he showed himself to be great and powerful, but at one point He also shows himself to be weak at one point in the book Which is which is surprising to the other characters aslan allows himself to be tortured essentially by the white witch To be mocked to be beaten to have his great main shaved off at one point in the book He actually allows himself to be tied down by this white witch to the great stone tablet You see the white witch believes that if she is able to kill aslan her reign in Narnia forever will be secured where it will always be winter and never Christmas and Aslan allows her to lay him down on the stone tablet to tie him up to bind him up He allows her to take up the knife He allows her to plunge the knife deep within him. He allows her to take his own life Susan and Lucy the two young ladies in the story witnessed this or the entire thing and they cannot believe what they have just seen They cannot believe that aslan is dead when the white witch and all of her wicked minions We move away from the stone tablet Lucy and Susan they go up to see Aslan and they go up to weep for him and they weep and they weep and they weep and they weep And they weep so much that they fall asleep right there weeping for him The next morning they awake and they realize that with Aslan dead They've got to go warn the others that the white witch is coming And so they get up to leave and as they turn they see they hear a great crash And they turn to see that the stone tablet is broken into and Aslan's body is nowhere to be found They don't know what has happened. They wonder why anybody would take them But they wonder what this could mean and then they look and in the dim glow of the early morning sun They see the great line no longer looking like a lamb But powerful his main intact his roar intact. How could this be he had died? Aslan comes and comforts the young women and he says that the reason this happened is because he knew something that the witch did not know Though the witch knew the deep magic. There is a magic deeper still which she did not know if she could have looked a little further back She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead The table would crack and death itself would start working backward Aslan had given himself up for a traitor Edmund their brother and this set the stage for the entire course of the history of Narnia When a willing victim The lamb of God is killed in a traitor's stead Yours and mine death itself will start to work backwards Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing