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Voddie Baucham - Why Is Jesus, The Last Adam, Able to Open the Scroll · Voddie Baucham Sermons

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  Speaker 1: But there is another piece. Not only do we see
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  Speaker 1: this lion who is worthy to open this book of judgment,
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  Speaker 1: but we also see that the last Adam is worthy
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  Speaker 1: to execute the will. Notice this at the beginning of
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  Speaker 1: verse six. And between the throne and the four living
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  Speaker 1: creatures and among the elders, I saw a lamb standing.
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  Speaker 1: Between the throne and the four living creatures and among
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  Speaker 1: the elders is he one of the living creatures no
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  Speaker 1: he's not exactly is he one of the elders well
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  Speaker 1: not exactly is he the one seated on the throne
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  Speaker 1: well not exactly He's between the throne and the creatures
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  Speaker 1: and the elders. So what is being referred to here?
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  Speaker 1: What's being referred to is the fact that he is
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  Speaker 1: the lion. He is the lamb. He is one worthy
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  Speaker 1: of worship, God. But he is also man. He is
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  Speaker 1: the God man.
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  Speaker 2: He is God. who has wrapped himself in flesh and
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  Speaker 2: dwelt among us.
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  Speaker 1: And so in this picture of the throne room, where
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  Speaker 1: everything is very clear, you look in the throne room
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  Speaker 1: and it's like, there's the throne and God is seated
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  Speaker 1: on the throne. And here are the living creatures, these
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  Speaker 1: four living creatures, the four corners of the earth, the
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  Speaker 1: creatures of the earth who worship God. And here are
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  Speaker 1: the elders, this representation of the people of God throughout time.
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  Speaker 1: And where do you put the lamb? Wherever he pleases.
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  Speaker 1: If he sits on the throne at the right hand
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  Speaker 1: of him who is on the throne, he's worthy.
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  Speaker 2: He stands before the throne.
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  Speaker 1: He's worthy. And so here we see him between the throne.
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  Speaker 1: And this is important. And it's important also that he's
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  Speaker 1: the lamb who is about to open the scroll. Remember
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  Speaker 1: what I said about the will? A will is only
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  Speaker 1: enacted when there has been a death. And then there's
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  Speaker 1: the one who dies and the one who's the executor.
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  Speaker 1: The one who's the executor is the one who lives
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  Speaker 1: after the one who has died.
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  Speaker 2: Who is the lamb? He is the one who died.
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  Speaker 1: And lives again so that he is the executor and
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  Speaker 1: the author. Listen to this from Beeky. God promised to
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  Speaker 1: Adam that he would reign over the earth. Although Adam
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  Speaker 1: forfeited this promise, Christ, the last Adam, was to inherit it.
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  Speaker 1: A human person had to open the book because the
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  Speaker 1: promise was made to humanity. But no person was found
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  Speaker 1: worthy to open it because all are sinners and stand
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  Speaker 1: under the judgment contained in the book. Nevertheless, Christ was
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  Speaker 1: found worthy because he suffered the final judgment as an innocent,
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  Speaker 1: sacrificial victim on behalf of his people whom he represented
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  Speaker 1: and consequently redeemed.
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  Speaker 2: That's just good.
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  Speaker 1: He is able to open the scroll because he's the
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  Speaker 1: last Adam. He is able to open our inheritance because
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  Speaker 1: he is the God-man. Because he is the lamb who
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  Speaker 1: was slain. And yet he lives. We also see a
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  Speaker 1: picture of the lamb who is worthy to consummate the
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  Speaker 1: redemption of God's elect.
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  Speaker 2: Look at verses 6 through 8. Verse 2. Verse 3.
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  Speaker 1: And when he had taken the scroll, the four living
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  Speaker 1: creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb.
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  Speaker 1: What do we see? Number one, we see that he
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  Speaker 1: has died and he has risen again. He's a lamb
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  Speaker 1: who was slain, but he's standing.
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  Speaker 2: He died, but he rose again.
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  Speaker 1: Christ is worthy to take the scroll because of his resurrection.
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  Speaker 1: He defeated death, hell, and the grave. He is worthy
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  Speaker 1: to take the scroll because he died and he lives again.
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  Speaker 1: And he is worthy of worship because he died and
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  Speaker 1: lives again. This means that he was sinless and death
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  Speaker 1: could not hold him. It also means that he was
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  Speaker 1: a substitute and he died on behalf of others who
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  Speaker 1: had sinned, even though he himself had not. And so
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  Speaker 1: we see the picture of the lamb as the sinless
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  Speaker 1: substitute for the people of God. That is who Jesus is.
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  Speaker 1: He is our sinless substitute. He had no sin of
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  Speaker 1: his own. but he took upon himself our sin. God
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  Speaker 1: made him who knew no sin to become sin for us,
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  Speaker 1: that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
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  Speaker 1: There is also this picture of seven horns. These seven horns, again,
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  Speaker 1: that number seven, the number of completion. Horns, what do
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  Speaker 1: they represent? These horns represent authority. Deuteronomy 33, 17, 1
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  Speaker 1: Kings 22, 11, Psalm 89, 17, Daniel 7, 7 through 8, 24,
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  Speaker 1: we see horns as representing authority. And here he has
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  Speaker 1: complete authority. There's also an irony here because of the
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  Speaker 1: creature in Daniel chapter seven, who has these seven horns,
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  Speaker 1: but ultimately is not able to hold on to them. Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Here we see the lamb. with all authority. The lamb
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  Speaker 1: is worthy to consummate the redemption of God's elect because
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  Speaker 1: he has all authority. So here's the lion and the
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  Speaker 1: root of David who is able to open the scroll
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  Speaker 1: and to inaugurate the judgment of God because he is
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  Speaker 1: the lion. And here's the lamb who died and rose
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  Speaker 1: again and has all authority. By the way, is that
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  Speaker 1: not what he says in the Great Commission? All authority
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  Speaker 1: in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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  Speaker 1: There's the picture of the lamb with seven horns. Then
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  Speaker 1: there are seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of
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  Speaker 1: God sent out.
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  Speaker 2: Into all the earth. Here he is omniscient.
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  Speaker 1: This is a picture of the spirit of God, but
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  Speaker 1: it's also a picture of complete omniscience, knowing everything, seeing everything.
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  Speaker 2: He is worthy. He is worthy.
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  Speaker 1: He is worthy to judge because he sees everything and
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  Speaker 1: he sees everything rightly. And he's worthy to redeem God's
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  Speaker 1: elect because of his omniscience. And finally, he receives worship
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  Speaker 1: from the heavenly court, which points to the fact that
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  Speaker 1: he is God. If he's not God, they bow down
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  Speaker 1: and he immediately says, get up.
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  Speaker 2: But he is God.
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  Speaker 1: So the lamb stands there. And the elders and the
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  Speaker 1: four living creatures fall down before him. They bow down
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  Speaker 1: and worship him. And he receives it because he is God.
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  Speaker 1: Christ is worthy. The lamb is worthy. Because he died
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  Speaker 1: and rose again. He died on our behalf. He's worthy
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  Speaker 1: because he has all authority. And there is none other
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  Speaker 1: who is worthy. He shares his authority and his worship
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  Speaker 1: with no one. He's worthy because he's omniscient. And he's
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  Speaker 1: all powerful. And he's worthy as illustrated by the fact
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  Speaker 1: that these heavenly beings around the throne bow down and
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  Speaker 1: offer him worship. How much more is he worthy of
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  Speaker 1: your worship? How much more is the Lamb of God
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  Speaker 1: worthy of your worship? Listen to this again from Daniel
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  Speaker 1: chapter 7, verses 13 and 14. I saw in the
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  Speaker 1: night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, there
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  Speaker 1: came one like a son of man. And he came
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  Speaker 1: to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
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  Speaker 1: And to him was given dominion and glory and the kingdom.
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  Speaker 1: that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His
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  Speaker 1: dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,
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  Speaker 1: and his kingdom, one that shall not be destroyed, which
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  Speaker 1: goes right into the song at the end of our text.
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  Speaker 1: The Lamb makes God elect worthy. Look at verses 9
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  Speaker 1: and 10. And they sang a new song saying, Worthy
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  Speaker 1: are you to take the scroll and to open its seals.
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  Speaker 1: For you were slain and by your blood you ransomed
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  Speaker 1: people for God from every tribe and language and people
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  Speaker 1: and nation. And you have made them a kingdom and
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  Speaker 1: priests to our God. And they shall reign on the earth.
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  Speaker 1: The lamb makes his people worthy to worship him. We've
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  Speaker 1: seen this earlier in chapter one. But notice this song.
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  Speaker 1: You're worthy to take the scroll and open up its
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  Speaker 1: seals for you were slain and by your blood you
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  Speaker 1: ransomed for God from every tribe, language.
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  Speaker 2: And people, and nations.
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  Speaker 1: You ransomed people for God from every tribe, language, people,
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  Speaker 1: and nation. There's that number four again. To what does
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  Speaker 1: that number four refer? That number four refers to completion
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  Speaker 1: on the earth by his blood. he ransomed for God
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  Speaker 1: a people from all over the earth. Now, here's what
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  Speaker 1: you need to understand. Jesus did not come and shed
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  Speaker 1: his blood in hopes that maybe someone would be ransomed.
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  Speaker 1: The picture here is that by the shedding of his blood,
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  Speaker 1: he ransomed a particular people for God from every tribe, nation, kindred,
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  Speaker 1: and people. The lamb did not come to offer himself
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  Speaker 1: as a sacrifice in hopes that possibly someone would come
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  Speaker 1: to him. The lamb was sent by the one seated
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  Speaker 1: on the throne to ransom particular people for God. And
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  Speaker 1: that's precisely what the lamb has done. And he is
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  Speaker 1: worthy of worship because he has ransomed a particular people
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  Speaker 1: for God. This particular people whom he's ransomed for God
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  Speaker 1: have been ransomed from every tribe and language and people
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  Speaker 1: and nation, which literally means a people from all the four.
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  Speaker 2: Corners of the earth.
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  Speaker 1: Later on, we're going to see a picture of this
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  Speaker 1: unnumbered multitude that is worshiping the lamb and proclaiming his worthiness.
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  Speaker 1: But even before then, we see now that the lamb
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  Speaker 1: is worthy because in the midst of executing judgment on
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  Speaker 1: the earth, he doesn't just execute judgment. Think of this
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  Speaker 1: for a moment. If all Christ does is come to
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  Speaker 1: the earth to announce the judgment that is to come,
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  Speaker 1: And if every human being is shut up in condemnation
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  Speaker 1: and every human being is devoured by almighty God because
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  Speaker 1: of the wickedness of every human being. And by the way,
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  Speaker 1: every human being deserves to be devoured and utterly consumed
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  Speaker 1: by the righteousness of God. God would have been glorified.
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  Speaker 1: If that's all Christ does is come and announce you're
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  Speaker 1: a wicked, sinful people and God is going to judge
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  Speaker 1: every last one of you. God would have been glorified
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  Speaker 1: and worthy of worship because of the way that his
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  Speaker 1: righteousness was displayed against the sinfulness of man.
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  Speaker 2: But that's not what Christ does. Christ comes.
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  Speaker 1: And he announces the inauguration of this justice of God
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  Speaker 1: and judgment against unrighteousness. But in the midst of it,
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  Speaker 1: he lays down his life on behalf of a people
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  Speaker 1: from all over the face of the earth. so that
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  Speaker 1: they might be redeemed from their sin by the death
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  Speaker 1: that he dies, encouraging the judgment and justice that was
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  Speaker 1: due to them, that they might join this heavenly chorus
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  Speaker 1: and worship God out of their redemption in spite of
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  Speaker 1: the fact that they were sinful creatures.
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  Speaker 2: God is good.
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  Speaker 1: His worthiness and his righteousness is seen as He pours
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  Speaker 1: out His wrath, but how much more so as objects
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  Speaker 1: of His wrath are transformed by the blood of the Lamb,
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  Speaker 1: by His death on the cross, so that we too
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  Speaker 1: might join the heavenly chorus and worship the One who
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  Speaker 1: lives forever and ever. How dare I think this is
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  Speaker 1: all about me? How dare, how dare I be anything
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  Speaker 1: but overwhelmed by the mercy of God when I think
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  Speaker 1: about this?
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  Speaker 2: How dare I? How dare I think so much of myself?
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  Speaker 1: Finally, you have made them a kingdom of priests to
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  Speaker 1: our God and they shall reign on the earth. Here's
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  Speaker 1: another piece of the puzzle. The lion comes and he's
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  Speaker 1: worthy to open the scroll of God's justice and judgment.
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  Speaker 1: But the lion is also the lamb who redeems a
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  Speaker 1: people for God. And he redeems this people for God
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  Speaker 1: that they who sat under the judgment of God might
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  Speaker 1: be redeemed and join this heavenly chorus. But he doesn't
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  Speaker 1: just redeem us and then take us up to the
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  Speaker 1: heavenly chorus. He redeems us and then through us, there
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  Speaker 1: is a rain even on the earth. Now, is it
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  Speaker 1: the complete consummated rain?
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  Speaker 2: No, it's not.
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  Speaker 1: It's the already not yet rain that we've spoken of before.
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  Speaker 2: But he rains. He rains.
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  Speaker 1: How does he rain? He rains through his people. How
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  Speaker 1: does he reign? He reigns through his church. How do
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  Speaker 1: we see his reign? We see his reign as individuals
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  Speaker 1: who are sinners, who are worthy of and sitting under
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  Speaker 1: the justice and judgment of God, who are waiting for
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  Speaker 1: the judgment of God.
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  Speaker 2: And that's every human being.
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  Speaker 1: All around us, there are millions upon millions of people
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  Speaker 1: just waiting for the moment when they drop off into
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  Speaker 1: eternity and the judgment of God consumes them. And they
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  Speaker 1: experience that and all of a sudden, God, through his church,
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  Speaker 1: pronounces his gospel on the earth. And men who are
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  Speaker 1: worthy of and about to fall into judgment hear the gospel.
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  Speaker 1: They're redeemed and they go from darkness to light, from
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  Speaker 1: one kingdom to another. And the kingdom of God expands
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  Speaker 1: and reigns even on the earth.
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  Speaker 2: As now they're transformed from the inside out and even
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  Speaker 2: obey God. On earth. As it is in heaven. Our
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  Speaker 2: father in heaven. Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.
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  Speaker 2: Your will be done on earth. As it is in heaven.
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  Speaker 2: How does that happen? As the lamb. Sheds his blood.
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  Speaker 2: And redeems a people. For God. And transforms them. Even
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  Speaker 2: here and now. And the rules.
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  Speaker 1: And reign of heaven is seen on the earth. What
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  Speaker 1: a glorious picture. There is even a picture on the
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  Speaker 1: earth of the worship that the lamb receives before the
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  Speaker 1: throne when we gather one day in seven to offer
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  Speaker 1: him the very same thing. The lion and the lamb
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  Speaker 1: are worthy. The lion and the lamb are worthy. Jesus
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  Speaker 1: is the lion of the tribe of Judah and the
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  Speaker 1: root of David. And he does open this scroll and
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  Speaker 1: inaugurate the judgment and justice of God against the wicked.
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  Speaker 1: And as the people of God, we cry out By
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  Speaker 1: the way, there are these prayers. Let me say a
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  Speaker 1: word about these prayers. There are these incense, which are
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  Speaker 1: the prayers of the saints. And as we go forward
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  Speaker 1: in the book of Revelation, what you find is that
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  Speaker 1: there are prayers of the saints that continue to go up.
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  Speaker 1: What these are, these are prayers of the martyrs who
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  Speaker 1: continue to cry out, how.
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  Speaker 2: Long, how long, how long before what?
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  Speaker 1: How long before you vindicate us, oh God? How long
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  Speaker 1: before you vindicate us We were faithful to you unto death.
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  Speaker 1: They killed us. How long before you vindicate us? So
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  Speaker 1: the context here is that there are these prayers of
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  Speaker 1: the saints. Prayers of the saints for what? What else
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  Speaker 1: makes sense here in the context of this particular passage?
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  Speaker 1: Prayers of the saints for what? Prayers of the saints
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  Speaker 1: for what? you know, to have a good day tomorrow,
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  Speaker 1: to have a good day at school. No. What's the scroll?
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  Speaker 1: The scroll is the justice of God and the judgment
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  Speaker 1: of God that is poured out on the wicked. That's
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  Speaker 1: what the scroll is. And in conjunction with that, it
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  Speaker 1: is the redemption of God's elect in the midst of
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  Speaker 1: the judgment that is poured out on the wicked and
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  Speaker 1: the inheritance for God's elect. In that context, these prayers...
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  Speaker 1: are the prayers that cry out, how long? Prayers of
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  Speaker 1: martyrs who say, when are we going to be vindicated?
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  Speaker 1: And the answer is, soon and in due season. And
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  Speaker 1: when it happens, when the vindication comes, the vindication is
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  Speaker 1: not one that is meant to puff up those who
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  Speaker 1: have been martyred, but to make much of the lamb
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  Speaker 1: who by the way.
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  Speaker 2: Was martyred.
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  Speaker 1: That's the picture. The lion and the lamb are worthy
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  Speaker 1: of worship. And as you go through the rest of
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  Speaker 1: your day and the rest of your life, please don't
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  Speaker 1: be satisfied with a skewed, partial, one-sided view of who
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  Speaker 1: Jesus is. Yes, he is the Lamb of God and
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  Speaker 1: for that we are grateful. But he is also the
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  Speaker 1: Lion of the tribe of Judah. And for that we
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  Speaker 1: must be grateful as well. Because our desire is that
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  Speaker 1: the justice of God would reign. It's the very thing
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  Speaker 1: that makes us hate sin even in ourselves. We long
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  Speaker 1: for it. We yearn for it. The psalmist wrote of
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  Speaker 1: it again and again and again. And it will come.
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  Speaker 1: But in the meantime, it may look like the wicked prosper.
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  Speaker 1: It may look like justice is delayed. But don't you
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  Speaker 1: dare weep and wail. Because John just showed you that
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  Speaker 1: there is one in heaven. who is worthy to open
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  Speaker 1: the scroll and to loosen its seals. He is the
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  Speaker 1: second person of the Trinity. He is Jesus Christ. He
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  Speaker 1: is the Lion and the Lamb. He is our Savior,
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  Speaker 1: our King, our Master, our Lord, our elder brother, our bridegroom,
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  Speaker 1: and our friend.