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Voddie Baucham - The Lion and the Lamb · Voddie Baucham Sermons

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  Speaker 1: If you have ever gone through the process of getting
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  Speaker 1: to know someone, then you have had what is, I believe,
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  Speaker 1: a universal conversation. It's a universal conversation that lets you into,
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  Speaker 1: gives you a little insight as to the way that
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  Speaker 1: the individual was raised. And that conversation always goes, not
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  Speaker 1: just something like this, but exactly like this. I remember
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  Speaker 1: the time when I was a little boy or a
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  Speaker 1: little girl, and I remember my mother or my father
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  Speaker 1: had told me or us that we were never to
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  Speaker 1: go to X or that we were never to touch Y.
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  Speaker 1: And being kids, we felt like that was exactly what
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  Speaker 1: we needed to do. So we went to X, knowing
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  Speaker 1: that we weren't supposed to. Or we touched Y, knowing
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  Speaker 1: that we weren't supposed to. And as we did it,
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  Speaker 1: we thought we were getting away with it when all
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  Speaker 1: of a sudden we looked up and there was the
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  Speaker 1: ominous figure of mom or dad. And we knew at
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  Speaker 1: that moment that we'd had it. And usually the story
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  Speaker 1: ends with And we didn't sit down for three days.
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  Speaker 1: I don't care who you are. You've had not a
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  Speaker 1: conversation like that. You've had that exact conversation. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: you've probably told that precise story. And you told that
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  Speaker 1: story with a smile on your face. Here's the irony
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  Speaker 1: in a story like that. We tell a story about
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  Speaker 1: a moment in our life when our parents basically said,
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  Speaker 1: terrorized us, spanked us, wounded us, hurt us. But when
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  Speaker 1: we tell that story, we tell the story with a
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  Speaker 1: smile on our face and without the slightest hint or
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  Speaker 1: tinge of blame toward the parent. Because we know that
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  Speaker 1: they were absolutely correct in in bringing the justice that
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  Speaker 1: they brought to us in that moment. And that the
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  Speaker 1: justice that they brought was not only absolutely correct, but
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  Speaker 1: that it was warranted. And beyond being correct and being warranted,
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  Speaker 1: it was necessary. It was warranted. It was correct. It
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  Speaker 1: was necessary. And it was completely consistent with their love
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  Speaker 1: for us. Not at all inconsistent with their role as
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  Speaker 1: a mother or a father. Because we understand this balance
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  Speaker 1: between love and justice. It's unfortunate, however, that oftentimes we
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  Speaker 1: do not see this or appreciate it in our Heavenly Father.
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  Speaker 1: And because we don't see it or appreciate it, I
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  Speaker 1: believe we don't have a full-orbed understanding of or appreciation
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  Speaker 1: for God's worthiness to be worshiped. But here in Revelation
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  Speaker 1: chapter 5, we get a picture of that worthiness to
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  Speaker 1: be worshiped with the lion who is the lamb, who
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  Speaker 1: is worthy. Worthy. is the lion and the lamb. Worthy
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  Speaker 1: is the lion and the lamb. Worthy is the lion
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  Speaker 1: who brings justice and vengeance, and the lamb who brings
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  Speaker 1: redemption for God's elect. We must have a full-orbed picture
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  Speaker 1: of who God is, of who Christ is, if our
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  Speaker 1: worship is to be as deep and meaningful as it
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  Speaker 1: is meant to be. And that's the picture we get
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  Speaker 1: here in this first half of Revelation chapter 5. This
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  Speaker 1: picture of the lion and the lamb who is worthy.
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  Speaker 1: He is worthy because he's the lion. He is worthy
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  Speaker 1: because he is the lamb. And there is no hint
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  Speaker 1: or tinge of inconsistency between those two. Revelation chapter 5
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  Speaker 1: beginning at verse 1. And as we enter into Revelation
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  Speaker 1: chapter 5, I said this section, Revelation chapter 4 and 5, again,
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  Speaker 1: it is the clearest picture that we have of heavenly worship,
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  Speaker 1: I believe, anywhere in the scriptures. And because of that,
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  Speaker 1: it's the clearest picture that we have of the theological
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  Speaker 1: implications of our earthly worship anywhere in the scriptures. But
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  Speaker 1: I believe as we move forward in this, The crescendo
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  Speaker 1: begins here in chapter 5. Here's where we truly understand
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  Speaker 1: worship because here is where we get the picture of
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  Speaker 1: the lion and the lamb. Beginning in verse 1. Then
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  Speaker 1: I saw in the right hand of him who was
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  Speaker 1: seated on the throne a scroll written within and on
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  Speaker 1: the back sealed with seven seals. By the way, just
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  Speaker 1: as an aside here. as we talk about the various
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  Speaker 1: ways that we approach the book of Revelation, and we
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  Speaker 1: talked about the sort of literalistic approach and the difficulties
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  Speaker 1: of the literalistic approach to Revelation. People who want to
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  Speaker 1: take everything literally, unless you're specifically told not to. Well,
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  Speaker 1: we're not specifically told not to take this literally. But
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  Speaker 1: if we take it literally, then God the Father actually
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  Speaker 1: has a right hand. That's a problem. Because God is
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  Speaker 1: a spirit and doesn't have a body like men. We
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  Speaker 1: could talk about the son having a right hand, but
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  Speaker 1: not the father. So as we get here into this
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  Speaker 1: section in chapters four and five, and as we move forward,
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  Speaker 1: I just want to reiterate and emphasize the approach to
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  Speaker 1: revelation that we're taking, the idealist approach to revelation that
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  Speaker 1: we're taking, where we understand based on chapter one, verse one,
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  Speaker 1: that the book is meant to be taken symbolically, not literally.
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  Speaker 1: There are signs here. There are pictures here. And it's
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  Speaker 1: not meant to be taken literally. It's meant to be
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  Speaker 1: taken symbolically. And then we try to understand what the
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  Speaker 1: symbols mean. And here is a great example where this
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  Speaker 1: approach works and the literalistic approach does not work. I
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  Speaker 1: saw on the right hand of him who was seated
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  Speaker 1: on the throne a scroll written within and on the back,
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  Speaker 1: sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel
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  Speaker 1: proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open
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  Speaker 1: the scroll and break its seals? Don't you love this?
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  Speaker 1: Almost like a courtroom scene. He stands up like the
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  Speaker 1: sergeant at arms. A strong angel with a loud voice.
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  Speaker 1: And no one in heaven or on earth... or under
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  Speaker 1: the earth was able to open the scroll or to
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  Speaker 1: look into it. And I began to weep loudly because
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  Speaker 1: no one was found worthy to open the scroll or
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  Speaker 1: to look into it. And one of the elders said
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  Speaker 1: to me, remember the 24 elders around the throne, weep
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  Speaker 1: no more. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah,
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  Speaker 1: the root of David, has conquered so that he can
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  Speaker 1: open the scroll and its seven seals. And between the
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  Speaker 1: throne and the four living creatures, and among the elders,
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  Speaker 1: I saw a lamb standing as though it had been
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  Speaker 1: slain with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are
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  Speaker 1: the seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
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  Speaker 1: And he went and took the scroll from the right
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  Speaker 1: hand of him who was seated on the throne. So
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  Speaker 1: we know now that the lamb is the lion. No
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  Speaker 1: one's worthy to take the scroll. That's okay. Because the
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  Speaker 1: lamb and the root of the lion and the root
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  Speaker 1: of David is worthy to take the scroll. Now who's
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  Speaker 1: taking the scroll? The lamb who was slain. The lion
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  Speaker 1: is the lamb. And when he had taken the scroll,
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  Speaker 1: the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down
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  Speaker 1: before the lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls
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  Speaker 1: full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
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  Speaker 1: And they sang a new song saying, worthy are you
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  Speaker 1: to take the scroll and to open its seals. For
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  Speaker 1: you were slain and by your blood, you ransomed people
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  Speaker 1: for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
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  Speaker 1: And you have made them a kingdom and priests to
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  Speaker 1: our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Amen.
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  Speaker 1: What a powerful passage of Scripture. The word pictures here
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  Speaker 1: are almost overwhelming. But there are several things necessary for
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  Speaker 1: us to understand if we are to understand the significance
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  Speaker 1: of this text. The first is this. The first is
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  Speaker 1: the nature of the scroll. What is the scroll? Why
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  Speaker 1: is the scroll so important? There are a number of
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  Speaker 1: interpretations of the scroll. One is that the scroll is
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  Speaker 1: actually synonymous with the Lamb's Book of Life. You see
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  Speaker 1: the Lamb's Book of Life in Revelation 3, 5, 13, 8, 17, 8, 20, 12,
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  Speaker 1: and 15, and 21, 27. So we see this Lamb's
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  Speaker 1: Book of Life. So some are arguing that the scroll
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  Speaker 1: here that only the lion slash lamb can open is
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  Speaker 1: the Lamb's Book of Life. The problem with that, of course,
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  Speaker 1: is that the Lamb's Book of Life is a different book.
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  Speaker 1: We know this from Revelation chapter 20 and verse 12.
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  Speaker 1: where we read, and I saw the dead, great and small,
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  Speaker 1: standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another
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  Speaker 1: book was opened, which is the book of life. And
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  Speaker 1: the dead were judged by what was written in the books,
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  Speaker 1: according to what they had done. So the reference there
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  Speaker 1: is to a different book, another book, not the same book,
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  Speaker 1: not the same scroll with the seals that we read
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  Speaker 1: about here. Some, again, who take a futurist approach, to
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  Speaker 1: this letter, to this book, say that basically the scroll
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  Speaker 1: represents the future Great Tribulation. It represents this period that
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  Speaker 1: is yet to come, referred to as the Great Tribulation.
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  Speaker 1: This literal seven-year period known as the Great Tribulation. Well,
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  Speaker 1: here's the problem with that. We've already alluded to it earlier.
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  Speaker 1: The fact that in Revelation chapter 1 and verse 19,
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  Speaker 1: We read, write therefore the things that you have seen,
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  Speaker 1: those that are, and those that are to take place
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  Speaker 1: after this. Past, present, and future. What we find in
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  Speaker 1: these scrolls are not just about future events, but what
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  Speaker 1: we find in these scrolls have to do with events
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  Speaker 1: that are already taking place even at the time of writing.
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  Speaker 1: So what do we have? Two things. One, the fullness
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  Speaker 1: of God's plan of judgment and redemption. That's what we
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  Speaker 1: have in the scrolls. The fullness of God's plan of
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  Speaker 1: judgment and redemption. Why do I say this? Well, because
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  Speaker 1: we see this idea of the sealed scroll or the
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  Speaker 1: sealed book in the prophetic literature that informs John's writing.
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  Speaker 1: We've said before that for the most part, There's Daniel,
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  Speaker 1: and there's Ezekiel, and a lot of Isaiah here. But
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  Speaker 1: Daniel is the book referenced more than any other book.
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  Speaker 1: And in Daniel chapter 7, and again in Daniel chapter 12,
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  Speaker 1: we have references that illuminate this for us. Listen to
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  Speaker 1: Daniel chapter 7, verses 9 through 10. As I looked,
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  Speaker 1: thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his
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  Speaker 1: seat there. His clothing was white as snow, and the
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  Speaker 1: hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was
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  Speaker 1: fiery flames. Its wheels were burning fire. A stream of
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  Speaker 1: fires issued and came out from before him. Again, this
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  Speaker 1: fire is a reference to judgment. A thousand thousands served him,
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  Speaker 1: and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The
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  Speaker 1: court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. In
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  Speaker 1: Ezekiel chapter 2. We have another example of this. There
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  Speaker 1: we see a court of judgment and the scrolls being
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  Speaker 1: opened or the books being opened. Look in Ezekiel chapter 2,
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  Speaker 1: verses 8 through 10. But you, son of man, hear
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  Speaker 1: what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that
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  Speaker 1: rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.
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  Speaker 1: And when I look, behold, a hand was stretching out
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  Speaker 1: to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was
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  Speaker 1: in it. and he spread it before me. And it
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  Speaker 1: had writing on the front and on the back. Unusual,
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  Speaker 1: most scrolls didn't have writing on the front and on
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  Speaker 1: the back. Here in Revelation, we have a scroll with
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  Speaker 1: writing on the front and on the back. In Ezekiel 2,
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  Speaker 1: a scroll with writing on the front and on the back.
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  Speaker 1: And there were written on it words of lamentation and
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  Speaker 1: mourning and woe. So in Daniel, we see what? This
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  Speaker 1: book that is unsealed... in a courtroom where judgment is
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  Speaker 1: about to be announced. In Ezekiel chapter 2, we see
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  Speaker 1: a scroll written on both sides. What's in the scroll?
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  Speaker 1: Lamentation and woe. In Isaiah chapter 29, we find a
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  Speaker 1: similar idea. Verses 11 and 12. And the vision of
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  Speaker 1: all this has become to you like the words of
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  Speaker 1: a book that is sealed. When men give it to
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  Speaker 1: one who can read, saying, read this, he says, I cannot,
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  Speaker 1: for it is sealed. And when they give the book
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  Speaker 1: to one who cannot read, saying, read this, he says,
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  Speaker 1: I cannot read. Well, the context of Isaiah chapter 29
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  Speaker 1: is God bringing judgment upon his enemies. So John, reaching
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  Speaker 1: back to this prophetic literature from the Old Testament, this
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  Speaker 1: apocalyptic literature from the Old Testament, has the picture of
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  Speaker 1: a scroll that is sealed, that is written on both sides,
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  Speaker 1: and it is a scroll of judgment. We also know
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  Speaker 1: this because contextually, when we move into chapter 6, what
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  Speaker 1: do we find? We find judgment and woes. So this
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  Speaker 1: is a scroll of judgment. But there is another issue
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  Speaker 1: as well. This scroll that is sealed with seven seals
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  Speaker 1: hearkens to its particular day in which in Roman courtrooms
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  Speaker 1: documents were often brought in and sealed with multiple seals. Mainly,
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  Speaker 1: last wills and testaments. And they're sealed so that you
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  Speaker 1: make sure they haven't been tampered with. So that only
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  Speaker 1: the one who is the executor can break the seal
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  Speaker 1: and open the last will and testament and read the
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  Speaker 1: wishes of the deceased. So here we have judgment, redemption,
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  Speaker 1: and inheritance. That's why when it can't be opened, John weeps.
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  Speaker 1: He weeps out loud. He weeps uncontrollably because here's this
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  Speaker 1: sealed document. He knows that this sealed document has the
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  Speaker 1: picture of God's redemption of his elect and God's judgment
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  Speaker 1: on the wicked. And he looks at this document waiting
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  Speaker 1: for God to unleash his judgment on the wicked and
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  Speaker 1: to consummate his redemption of his elect and for the
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  Speaker 1: last will and testament to be read. And the angel says...
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  Speaker 1: Who is there who can open this? And the answer
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  Speaker 1: is no one in heaven and on earth and under
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  Speaker 1: the earth. John weeps. Listen to what Hendrickson writes. Here's
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  Speaker 1: why John's weeping. This means for John that history will
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  Speaker 1: not be governed in the interest of the church and
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  Speaker 1: that there will be no protection for God's children in
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  Speaker 1: the hour of bitter trial, no judgment upon a persecuting
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  Speaker 1: world No ultimate triumph for believers, no heaven, no earth,
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  Speaker 1: no new heaven, no new earth, and no future inheritance.
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  Speaker 1: That's what it means if there's no one worthy to
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  Speaker 1: open the scroll. And that's why John weeps. He weeps
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  Speaker 1: because if the scroll is not opened, things are not
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  Speaker 1: brought to their full conclusion in the way that God intends.
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  Speaker 1: If the scroll is not opened, there is no end
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  Speaker 1: to this persecution that God's people are experiencing. If the
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  Speaker 1: scroll is not opened, then there's not going to be
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  Speaker 1: justice for God's elect. If the scroll is not opened,
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  Speaker 1: there is no inheritance for the people of God. He
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  Speaker 1: weeps because the scroll must be opened and there must
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  Speaker 1: be justice and there must be redemption. Then verse 5,
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  Speaker 1: one of the elders said to me, weep no more. Behold,
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  Speaker 1: the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of
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  Speaker 1: David has conquered so that he can open the scrolls
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  Speaker 1: and its seven seals. Now, this is extremely important. Note
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  Speaker 1: that he uses these two references to Christ. He refers
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  Speaker 1: to him as the lion of the tribe of Judah
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  Speaker 1: and the root of David. Now, when he refers to
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  Speaker 1: him as the lion of the tribe of Judah, we
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  Speaker 1: know that this is a reference to Genesis chapter 49.
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  Speaker 1: And we understand that Jesus is the lion of the
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  Speaker 1: tribe of Judah because of his lineage. Genesis 49, beginning
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  Speaker 1: at verse 8, we read, Judah, your brother shall praise you,
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  Speaker 1: which is a play on words because the name Judah
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  Speaker 1: means praise. Your brother shall praise you. Your hand shall
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  Speaker 1: be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's son
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  Speaker 1: shall bow before you. Judah is a lion's cub. From
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  Speaker 1: the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down.
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  Speaker 1: He crouched as a lion and as a lioness who
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  Speaker 1: dares rouse him. The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
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  Speaker 1: nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until tribute
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  Speaker 1: comes to him, and to him shall be the obedience
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  Speaker 1: of the peoples. binding his foal to the vine and
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  Speaker 1: his donkey's colt to the choice vine. He has washed
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  Speaker 1: his garments in wine and his vestures in the blood
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  Speaker 1: of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine and his
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  Speaker 1: teeth whiter than milk. There is a picture of divine judgment.
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  Speaker 1: So what does the angel say? There is one who
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  Speaker 1: can open the scroll of the judgment of God because
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  Speaker 1: he is the one foretold in the line of Judah.
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  Speaker 1: He is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Jesus
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  Speaker 1: Christ is able to judge the world because he is
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  Speaker 1: the lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the
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  Speaker 1: justice of God. We see that picture of him in
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  Speaker 1: Revelation chapter 19 that we've looked at time and time again.
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  Speaker 1: And it looks a lot like this picture that we
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  Speaker 1: find in Genesis chapter 49. Jesus Christ is the judge.
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  Speaker 1: We don't like to speak about him in those terms. Listen, beloved,
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  Speaker 1: if you don't like speaking about Jesus in those terms,
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  Speaker 1: then you are missing one of the most important aspects
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  Speaker 1: of who he is. Because what, pray tell, does redemption
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  Speaker 1: mean if there is no justice? What are you saved
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  Speaker 1: from if there is no wrath of God? What are
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  Speaker 1: you rescued from if there is not a day that
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  Speaker 1: is going to come when he actually does exact vengeance
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  Speaker 1: upon the wicked. What have you been transferred from, if
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  Speaker 1: not from darkness and judgment, to light and redemption? You
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  Speaker 1: cannot appreciate the redemption that you have in Christ unless
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  Speaker 1: you understand the justice and judgment of God that will,
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  Speaker 1: that must come against the wicked. And you will never
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  Speaker 1: turn to Christ unless you understand this because you don't
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  Speaker 1: have anything to flee from if there is no justice
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  Speaker 1: or judgment of the wicked. You don't believe you need
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  Speaker 1: a savior if you don't believe that there is justice
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  Speaker 1: against the wicked. And so we have this picture of
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  Speaker 1: lowly Jesus, meek and mild, who just wants to be
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  Speaker 1: your friend, and he's pining over you because he doesn't
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  Speaker 1: have enough friends, especially friends like you, and your greatest
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  Speaker 1: sin is depriving Jesus of you. That's not the gospel.
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  Speaker 1: Gospel says you are a wretched sinner, and you've sinned
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  Speaker 1: against a holy and righteous God And the day is
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  Speaker 1: coming when you will face that God and his justice
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  Speaker 1: will be poured out. Flee from your sin and run
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  Speaker 1: to the only one who can save you, who is
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  Speaker 1: Christ himself. The judge is the only one who can
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  Speaker 1: save you. The lion of the tribe of Judah. Bow
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  Speaker 1: before him now or bow before him then, but you
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  Speaker 1: will bow. Then there is this phrase, the root of David. Again,
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  Speaker 1: we go back to Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 11, verses 1
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  Speaker 1: through 5. Then shall come forth a shoot from the
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  Speaker 1: stump of Jesse, and a branch from his root shall
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  Speaker 1: bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be in
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: what his eyes see or decide disputes by what his
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: ears hear. But with righteousness he shall judge the poor
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: And he shall strike the earth with the rod of
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: his mouth. And with the breath of his lips he
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: his waist and faithfulness the belt of his loins. He
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: shall judge. Kill the wicked. We don't even like to
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: read that. Because again, it doesn't fit this picture of
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: lowly Jesus, meek and mild. But that is who he is.
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: Why is this important? Is this important because as Christians,
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: you know, we need this picture of Jesus so that
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: we can think that we're tough, so that we can
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: think that we're invincible, so that we can think. Why
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: is this so significant? It's so significant because God is
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: holy and God is just and God is righteous. And
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: if we delight in his holiness and delight in his righteousness,
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: then we must delight in the punishment of the wicked.
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: We must. We must. We must rejoice in the vengeance
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: of God against the wicked. But there's something else. This
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: is why we don't avenge ourselves. We don't live like
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: the Hatfields and McCoys, the Hutus and the Tutsis. We
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: don't live like that. Why? Because we do not have
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: a sense that says the only way justice is ever
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: going to come as if I exacted myself. Do you
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: understand that the belief in God's ultimate judgment of the
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: wicked is the only thing that keeps you and me
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: from barbaric retribution in the here and the now? The
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: only way that you and I can even think about
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: not avenging ourselves, is when we understand that there is
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: a God who is just, and there is a day
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: coming when God will make all things right. The classic
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: example of this is Psalm 73. In Psalm 73, David says,
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: my feet had almost slipped. Why? Because he looks at
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: the wicked and they seem to be prospering. And their
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: lives seem to be going well. And there are wicked
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: people out there and they've got lots of stuff. And
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: they're healthy. They're not sick. And I've got sickness. I've
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: got problems with my kids. They're driving around in nice cars.
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: They've got nice clothes. And they're horrible people. They're absolutely awful, horrible,
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: ungodly people. And it's just not fair. Then the psalm turns.
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: Right there, I think around verse 13 or verse 14.
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: And he says, and then I considered their end. And
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: it changes everything. They literally do have their best life now. Amen.
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: I considered their end. If you consider the fact that
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: life is but a vapor, if you consider the fact
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: that what an individual can do to your body is
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: a very small thing, when you consider the fact that
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: we will spend eternity somewhere, when you consider how insignificant
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: things really are, then all of a sudden you turn
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: from being envious of the wicked to almost having pity
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: on them. Because this is as good as it gets
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: for them, and it will never satisfy. Why? They will
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: live a life continually trying to pursue things, to fill
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: a void that will never be filled, and then when
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: it's all said and done, they will die and face
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: the judgment and justice of Almighty God. That is sad.
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: It is only when we believe in the justice of God,
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: it is only when we see Christ as the Lion King,
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: of the tribe of Judah and the root of David
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: who will bring ultimate justice that we can let go
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: of our own sense of vengeance. But there is another piece.
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: Not only do we see this lion who is worthy
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: to open this book of judgment, but we also see
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: that the last Adam is worthy to execute the will.
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: Notice this at the beginning of verse 6. And between
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders,
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: I saw a lamb standing. Between the throne and the
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: four living creatures and among the elders. Is he one
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: of the living creatures? No, he's not. Exactly. Is he
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: one of the elders? No. Well, not exactly. Is he
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: the one seated on the throne? Well, not exactly. He's
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: between the throne and the creatures and the elders. So
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: what is being referred to here? What's being referred to
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: is the fact that he is the lion, he is
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: the lamb, he is one worthy of worship, God, but
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: he is also man. He is the God-man. He is
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: God who has wrapped himself in flesh and dwelt among us.
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: And so in this picture of the throne room where
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: everything is very clear, you look in the throne room
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: and it's like there's the throne and God is seated
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: on the throne. And here are the living creatures, these
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: four living creatures, the four corners of the earth, the
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: creatures of the earth who worship God. And here are
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: the elders, this representation of the people of God throughout time.
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: And where do you put the lamb? Wherever he pleases.
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: If he sits on the throne at the right hand
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: of him who is on the throne, he's worthy. If
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: he stands before the throne, he's worthy. And so here
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: we see him between the throne. And this is important.
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: And it's important also that he's the lamb who is
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: about to open the scroll. Remember what I said about
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: the will? A will is only enacted when there has
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: been a death. And then there's the one who dies
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: and the one who's the executor. The one who's the
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: executor is the one who lives after the one who
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: has died. Who is the lamb? He is the one
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: who died and lives again so that he is the
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: executor and the author. Listen to this from Beaky. God
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: promised to Adam that he would reign over the earth.
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: Although Adam forfeited this promise, Christ, the last Adam, was
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: to inherit it. A human person had to open the
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: book because the promise was made to humanity. But no
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: person was found worthy to open it because all are
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: sinners and stand under the judgment contained in the book. Nevertheless,
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: Christ was found worthy because he suffered the final judgment
• 31:45
  Speaker 1: as an innocent, sacrificial victim on behalf of his people
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: whom he represented and consequently redeemed. That's just good. He
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: is able to open the scroll because He's the last Adam.
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: He is able to open our inheritance because He is
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: the God-man, because He is the Lamb who was slain,
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: and yet He lives. We also see a picture of
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: the Lamb who is worthy to consummate the redemption of
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: God's elect. Look at verses 6 through 8. I saw
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: a lamb standing as though it had been slain with
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: seven horns. These horns are a picture of authority. With
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: out into all the earth. And he went and took
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: the scroll from the right hand of him who was
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: seated on the throne. What do we see? Number one,
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: we see that he has died and he has risen again.
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: He's a lamb who was slain, but he's standing. He died,
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: but he rose again. Christ is worthy to take the
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: scroll because of his resurrection. He defeated death, hell, and
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: the grave. He is worthy to take the scroll because
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: he died and he lives again. And he is worthy
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: of worship because he died and lives again. This means
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: that he was sinless and death could not hold him.
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: It also means that he was a substitute and he
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: died on behalf of others who had sinned even though
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: he himself had not. And so we see the picture
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: of the lamb as the sinless substitute for the people
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: of God. That is who Jesus is. He is our
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: sinless substitute. He had no sin of his own. but
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: he took upon himself our sin. God made him who
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: knew no sin to become sin for us, that we
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: might become the righteousness of God in him. There is
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: also this picture of seven horns. These seven horns, again,
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: that number seven, the number of completion. Horns, what do
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: they represent? These horns represent authority. Deuteronomy 33, 17, 1
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: Kings 22, 11, Psalm 89, 17, Daniel 7, 7 through 8, 24,
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: we see horns as representing authority. And here he has
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: complete authority. There's also an irony here because of the
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: creature in Daniel chapter 7 who has these seven horns,
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: but ultimately is not able to hold on to them. Amen?
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: Here we see the lamb with all authority. The lamb
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: is worthy to consummate the redemption of God's elect because
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: he has all authority. So here's the lion and the
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: root of David who is able to open the scroll
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: and to inaugurate the judgment of God because he is
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: the lion. And here's the lamb who died and rose
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: again and has all authority. By the way, is that
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: not what he says in the Great Commission? All authority
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: There's the picture of the lamb with seven horns. Then
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: there are seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: God sent out into all the earth. Here he is omniscient.
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: This is a picture of the spirit of God, but
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: it's also a picture of complete omniscience, knowing everything, seeing everything.
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: He is worthy. He is worthy. He is worthy to
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: judge because he sees everything and he sees everything rightly.
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: And he's worthy to redeem God's elect because of his omniscience.
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: And finally, he receives worship from the heavenly court, which
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: points to the fact that he is God. If he's
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: not God, they bow down and he immediately says, get up.
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: But he is God. So the lamb stands there. And
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: the elders and the four living creatures fall down before him.
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: They bow down and worship him. And he receives it
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: because he is God. Christ is worthy. The lamb is worthy.
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: Because he died and rose again. He died on our behalf.
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: He's worthy because he has all authority. And there is
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: none other who is worthy. He shares his authority and
• 36:21
  Speaker 1: his worship with no one. He's worthy because he's omniscient.
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: And he's all powerful. And he's worthy as illustrated by
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: the fact that these heavenly beings around the throne bow
• 36:37
  Speaker 1: down and offer him worship. How much more is he
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: worthy of your worship? How much more is the Lamb
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: of God worthy of your worship? Listen to this again
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: from Daniel chapter 7, verses 13 and 14. I saw
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: heaven there came one like a son of man. And
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: before him. And to him was given dominion and glory
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: and the kingdom. that all peoples, nations, and languages should
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: be destroyed, which goes right into the song at the
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: end of our text. The Lamb makes God elect worthy.
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: Look at verses 9 and 10. And they sang a
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: new song saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: and to open its seals, for you were slain And
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: by your blood, you ransomed people for God from every
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: tribe and language and people and nation. And you have
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: made them a kingdom and priests to our God. And
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: they shall reign on the earth. The lamb makes his
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: people worthy to worship him. We've seen this earlier in
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: chapter 1. But notice this song. You're worthy to take
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: the scroll and open up its seals, for you were slain,
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: and by your blood you ransomed for God from every tribe, language,
• 38:26
  Speaker 1: and people, and nations. You ransomed people for God from
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: every tribe, language, people, and nation. There's that number four again.
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: To what does that number four refer? That number four
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: refers to completion on the earth. By his blood, he
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: ransomed for God a people from all over the earth. Now,
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: here's what you need to understand. Jesus did not come
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: and shed his blood in hopes that maybe someone would
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: be ransomed. The picture here is that by the shedding
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: of his blood, he ransomed a particular people for God
• 39:07
  Speaker 1: from every tribe, nation, kindred, and people. The lamb did
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: not come To offer himself as a sacrifice in hopes
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: that possibly someone would come to him. The lamb was
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: sent by the one seated on the throne to ransom
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: particular people for God. And that's precisely what the lamb
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: has done. And he is worthy of worship because he
• 39:36
  Speaker 1: has ransomed a particular people for God. This particular people
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: whom he's ransomed for God have been ransomed from every
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: tribe and language and people and nation, which literally means
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: a people from all the four corners of the earth.
• 39:59
  Speaker 1: Later on, we're going to see a picture of this
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: unnumbered multitude that is worshiping the Lamb and proclaiming His worthiness.
• 40:09
  Speaker 1: But even before then, we see now that the Lamb
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: is worthy. Because in the midst of executing judgment on
• 40:18
  Speaker 1: the earth, he doesn't just execute judgment. Think of this
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: for a moment. If all Christ does is come to
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: the earth to announce the judgment that is to come,
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: and if every human being is shut up in condemnation,
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: And every human being is devoured by Almighty God because
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: of the wickedness of every human being. And by the way,
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: every human being deserves to be devoured and utterly consumed
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: by the righteousness of God. God would have been glorified.
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: If that's all Christ does is come and announce you're
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: a wicked, sinful people and God is going to judge
• 41:01
  Speaker 1: every last one of you. God would have been glorified
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: and worthy of worship because of the way that his
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: righteousness was displayed against the sinfulness of man. But that's
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: not what Christ does. Christ comes. He comes. And he
• 41:18
  Speaker 1: announces the inauguration of this justice of God and judgment
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: against unrighteousness. But in the midst of it, he lays
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: down his life on behalf of a people from all
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: over the face of the earth. so that they might
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: be redeemed from their sin by the death that he dies,
• 41:37
  Speaker 1: encouraging the judgment and justice that was due to them,
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: that they might join this heavenly chorus and worship God
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: out of their redemption in spite of the fact that
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: they were sinful creatures. God is good. His worthiness and
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: his righteousness is seen as he pours out his wrath,
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: but how much more so as objects of his wrath
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: are transformed by the blood of the Lamb, by his
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: death on the cross, so that we too might join
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: the heavenly chorus and worship the one who lives forever
• 42:23
  Speaker 1: and ever. How dare I think this is all about me?
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: How dare, how dare I be anything but overwhelmed by
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: the mercy of God when I think about this? How
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: dare I? How dare I think so much of myself? Finally,
• 42:52
  Speaker 1: you have made them a kingdom of priests to our God,
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: and they shall reign on the earth. Here's another piece
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: of the puzzle. The lion comes and he's worthy to
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: open the scroll of God's justice and judgment. But the
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: lion is also the lamb who redeems a people for God.
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: And he redeems this people for God that they who
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: sat under the judgment of God might be redeemed and
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: join this heavenly chorus. But he doesn't just redeem us
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: and then take us up to the heavenly chorus. He
• 43:35
  Speaker 1: redeems us, and then through us, there is a rain
• 43:41
  Speaker 1: even on the earth. Now, is it the complete consummated rain? No,
• 43:47
  Speaker 1: it's not. It's the already not yet rain that we've
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: spoken of before. But he rains. He rains. How does
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: he rain? He rains through his people. How does he reign?
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: He reigns through his church. How do we see his reign?
• 44:07
  Speaker 1: We see his reign as individuals who are sinners, who
• 44:10
  Speaker 1: are worthy of and sitting under the justice and judgment
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: of God, who are waiting for the judgment of God.
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: And that's every human being. All around us, there are
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: millions upon millions of people just waiting for the moment
• 44:24
  Speaker 1: when they drop off into eternity and the judgment of
• 44:27
  Speaker 1: God consumes them. And they experience that and all of
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: a sudden, God, through his church, pronounces his gospel on
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: the earth. And men who are worthy of and about
• 44:40
  Speaker 1: to fall into judgment hear the gospel. They're redeemed. And
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: they go from darkness to light, from one kingdom to another.
• 44:48
  Speaker 1: And the kingdom of God expands and reigns even on
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: the earth. As now they're transformed from the inside out
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: and even obey God on earth as it is in heaven.
• 45:03
  Speaker 1: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: How does that happen? As the Lamb sheds His blood
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: and redeems a people for God and transforms them even
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: here and now. And the rule and reign of heaven
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: is seen on the earth. What a glorious picture. There
• 45:41
  Speaker 1: is even a picture on the earth of the worship
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: that the lamb receives before the throne when we gather
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: one day in seven to offer him the very same thing.
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: The lion and the lamb are worthy The lion and
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: the lamb are worthy. Jesus is the lion of the
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: tribe of Judah and the root of David. And he
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: does open this scroll and inaugurate the judgment and justice
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: of God against the wicked. And as the people of God,
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: we cry out. By the way, there are these prayers.
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: Let me say a word about these prayers. There are
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: these incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: as we go forward in the book of Revelation, what
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: you find is that there are prayers of the saints
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: that continue to go up. What these are, these are
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: prayers of the martyrs who continue to cry out, how long?
• 46:51
  Speaker 1: How long? How long before what? How long before you
• 46:54
  Speaker 1: vindicate us, oh God? How long before you vindicate us?
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: We were faithful to you unto death. They killed us.
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: How long before you vindicate us? So the context here
• 47:12
  Speaker 1: is that there are these prayers of the saints. Prayers
• 47:16
  Speaker 1: of the saints for what? What else makes sense here
• 47:20
  Speaker 1: in the context of this particular passage? Prayers of the
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: saints for what? Prayers of the saints for, you know,
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: to have a good day tomorrow, to have a good
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: day at school. No. What's the scroll? The scroll is
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: the justice of God. and the judgment of God that
• 47:39
  Speaker 1: is poured out on the wicked. That's what the scroll is.
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: And in conjunction with that, it is the redemption of
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: God's elect in the midst of the judgment that is
• 47:49
  Speaker 1: poured out on the wicked and the inheritance for God's elect.
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: In that context, these prayers are the prayers that cry out,
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: how long? Prayers of martyrs who say, when are we
• 48:04
  Speaker 1: going to be vindicated? When are we going to be vindicated?
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: And the answer is soon and in due season. And
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: when it happens, when the vindication comes, the vindication is
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: not one that is meant to puff up those who
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: have been martyred, but to make much of the lamb who,
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: by the way, was martyred. That's the picture. The lion
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  Speaker 1: and the lamb are worthy of worship. And as you
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  Speaker 1: go through the rest of your day and the rest
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  Speaker 1: of your life, please don't be satisfied with a skewed, partial,
• 48:56
  Speaker 1: one-sided view of who Jesus is. Yes, he is the
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: lamb of God and for that we are grateful. But
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  Speaker 1: he is also the lion of the tribe of Judah.
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  Speaker 1: And for that, we must be grateful as well. Because
• 49:14
  Speaker 1: our desire is that the justice of God would reign.
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: It's the very thing that makes us hate sin. even
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: in ourselves. We long for it. We yearn for it.
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: The psalmist wrote of it again and again and again.
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: And it will come. But in the meantime, It may
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: look like the wicked prosper. It may look like justice
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: is delayed. But don't you dare weep and wail because
• 49:48
  Speaker 1: John just showed you that there is one in heaven
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: who is worthy to open the scroll and to loosen
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: its seals. He is the second person of the Trinity.
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  Speaker 1: He is Jesus Christ. He is the Lion King. and
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: the Lamb. He is our Savior, our King, our Master,
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: our Lord, our elder brother, our bridegroom, and our friend.
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  Speaker 1: Would you bow with me?