Good morning, everyone. It's good to be here. What I love was the fact that Luke didn't know where I was, and he was going like this, hoping that I didn't run back to Ireland. But look, I'm still here. You don't have to preach this morning. But it is good to be here.
Please open your Bibles, if you have them, to the last book in the Bible, Revelation. And open them to Revelation chapter 5. Revelation chapter 5. As Luke has already mentioned, Andrew's a dear friend of mine. He was my pastor for a long time, and I still would regard him as my pastor as well. So, I really trust that you are benefiting from him. I hope you have, I don't know, got accustomed to the accent and the funny words that he does say. And I'm probably going to say some of those same words. And I don't know which words you aren't going to understand. So, I'm sorry about that up front. I will say Psalms. I will say Isaiah. So please bear with me.
What I love is the fact that on that bulletin, your vacation Bible School this year is Irish-themed. So, Andrew is changing that. He's bringing Ireland into Dallas, so that is good. But it is a joy to be here. It's a joy to have Trinity folk come to Ireland every year to serve in teams. And this year we're looking forward at Gortmerron to having another team. So that will be great.
But let's read God's word. Revelation chapter five. Revelation chapter 5, verse 1. God's Word says this:
(Scripture Reading)
"Then I saw in the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?' And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it."
And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, weep no more. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered. So that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.
And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song saying, worthy are you to take this scroll and to open its seals for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to your God, and they shall reign on the earth.'
Then I looked and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads, thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them saying, “to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever."
And the four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped." (End)
Let us bow our heads and pray.
(Prayer) Heavenly Father, we thank You just for this opportunity to open up Your Word to study it together and we're reminded of the very first words of the book of Revelation that: "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and keep what is written in it."
Lord, we confess that sometimes we are daunted by this book. Sometimes, Lord, we shy away from reading it. But we thank You, Lord, that You remind us at the very beginning that there is blessing in reading it, blessing in studying it, and blessing in keeping Your Word. And therefore, Lord, teach us this morning what Your Word has to say. And cause us, Lord, to come and love our Savior more and more, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lamb that was slain. We do pray, oh God, that Christ will increase and we as sinners will decrease this morning. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen. (End)
Well, I want to take you for a moment back in time. I want to take you back many many years ago to the Babylonian Empire in the 6th century. And there you're living, and King Nebuchadnezzar he sits on the throne, he's reigning he's ruling over the empire, and he makes a command. He issues a decree: and the decree is this, that at the sound of the harp, at the sound of the bagpipe, at the sound of all the music, you are to bow down before his golden statue.
Now, fast forward in time with me. And I want to take you to the first century AD. I want to take you to the Roman Empire, and especially to the churches in Asia Minor like Ephesus, and Laodicea, and Pergamon. And again, there is an emperor on the throne. There's a ruler on the throne who says that at his appointed time in his appointed place, you are to bow down and worship. And especially, you are to declare, "Caesar is Lord."
Now I fast forward to a familiar time, to our day here in Dallas and all around us. The culture every single day and the world calls you to bow down to it, to follow its patterns, to follow its ways, to conform.
Now, although these three periods are separated by hundreds of years, although these three periods have different customs and different ways, these three periods they share a common theme. And the common theme is that you are called to worship the world and its leaders. You're commanded to bow down and to follow after them.
And yet another common theme in all three of these eras is the fact that God's people will refuse to bow down. So, in the 6th century BC, you had men like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar, and as a result, they were thrown into the fiery furnace. In the first century AD in the Roman Empire, you had believers in the seven churches of Asia Minor who refused and were persecuted, and some of them lost their lives. And even this morning here in Dallas and here in Trinity Bible Church, there are many of you who are refusing to bow down and worship the world.
And yet the question arises, well, is that the right thing to do? I wonder if you've ever thought that. I'm sure that because you are a sinner, you have thought about that very fact. You've been following Christ. You've been refusing to follow the world. And in your heart and in your head, you are tempted. There's a niggly thought that says, is it worth following Jesus? It brings shame. It brings ridicule. It brings isolation, and according to the world, it does not bring pleasure. Is Jesus worth it?
And that was the temptation the seven churches of Asia Minor faced. That is why God allowed John to write the book of Revelation. You see, John here is given a vision of what is to come. In chapter five, our chapter for this morning, he is taken up into heaven by the Holy Spirit and is enabled to see the throne room of God and to see a picture of his Friend, his Savior, the glorious, triumphant Jesus Christ. He is enabled to see this so that he can write to the Revelation Christians, and he can say to them, it is worth it.
And this morning, if you're struggling with that idea, if you have this past week, you've been tempted to ask, is Jesus worth it? Well, this passage is for you. This passage says to you this morning, keep following Jesus, for He is the only one worthy of your worship and your allegiance. Trinity, keep following Jesus because He's the only one worthy of your worship and your allegiance.
Why is Jesus worthy? Well, John gives us three reasons in this passage. Three reasons in this passage. The first reason is this: He is worthy because He is restoring God's universe. He is worthy because He is restoring God's universe.
You see, turn back for a moment to Revelation chapter four, verse one. Revelation four, verse one. It says this: "After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.' At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven with one seated on that throne." So here, John the apostle is enabled by the Holy Spirit to see a vision of heaven. Specifically, his eyes are on the throne in heaven and the One who sits on it. That is what chapter four is all about. It is about the glorious throne room of God.
Now, back in the ancient world, the throne was the symbol of authority and power and control. From here, the king or the emperor ruled his nation. If we were to give a modern equivalent, maybe it's like the White House in Washington, from which your president makes the decisions for the nation. Or think of an airport control tower. At an airport, there are many planes coming in and taking off every single day. Apparently in Dallas, Fort Worth, there's 1,800 to 2,000 planes that take off and land every single day. And yet they do so with ease and order. It's not chaotic. They're not constantly crashing into one another. And the reason for that is the control tower in the airport. Well, that's the heaven's throne room. From this, God is controlling His created universe. God has created everything that there is. He's created this world. He's created our solar system. He's created the entire universe. And He sits on the throne controlling it.
With than in mind turn chapter 5 verse 1, chapter 5 verse 1, John's attention now zooms in on the right hand of God. Look at verse 1 with me: "Then I saw in the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne a scroll, written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals." You see, the right hand of the King was the symbol of his authority and power. And in this hand, John sees a scroll. It is a scroll that is written on both sides, meaning that it is full of detail. It is a scroll that has no blanks. It is a scroll with no room for additions. It doesn't have, as your bulletins have this morning, a page for extra notes to be added. Rather, this scroll is exhaustive; it is comprehensive; it is detailed. And the rest of Revelation explains to us that when this scroll is opened, judgment occurs and history unfolds. So, this scroll is the road map, the blueprint for the rest of history. This is the future. This is God's plan of judgment upon sin and evil. It is God's plan of the salvation of His people and the universe. In a sense, it is God's plan of renewal, a new heavens and a new earth coming. It is the plan of restoration. Sin and its effects being totally erased and perfection being restored.
And yet in Revelation chapter five, although John sees this scroll and John knows what this scroll is, there is a problem in the text and John feels that problem because the scroll is sealed tight. In the ancient world, wax seals were used to secure different things. And only one with authorization was allowed to open. Under Roman law, these wax seals. Think today of our modern equivalent as probably our password protection software. We use it every single day. You go to the bank; you have to enter your pin number. On your phone, your iPhone or whatever phone it is, you either enter your digits or you just hold it up to your face, and it recognizes who you are, and you get logged in. That is, only you are getting into your phone.
Now to tell you a fact about myself: I have an identical twin brother. He is also in ministry, and my Granny, who is in her 80s, still, for the past 28 years, confuses us. And although my brother he's been in Germany for four years, when I go to my granny's house in Northern Ireland, she calls me my brother's name. And when my brother visits from Germany, she calls him my name, Lewis. So, it is confusing, and yet I've tried this before. I've given my brother my phone, and he cannot get into it because the software recognizes that I am unique in many different ways. Well, that is a scroll. It is sealed with seven seals, meaning that there only authorization for one person to get in. Seven seals being the perfect number in the Bible, it means that this is perfectly secure. There are no accidents, no mishaps, and no hackers getting into this scroll. There is only one person who can open it.
In verse two, a strong angel appears as the herald to all the universe and declares with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?" He is saying there, "Let the one who has authorization come forward and unfold God's restoration plan." And yet there is silence. There is no one in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth that seemingly can open a scroll. And John gets this because John, did you notice his reaction? He begins to weep. It is the reaction of mourning and grief. It is the loud wailing of a mother when their beloved child dies. John breaks out in tears because he knows what this means. If no one opens this scroll, then God's plan of history cannot unfold.
It's an interesting reaction, for when many people today think of God's judgment, they're angry about it. And they ask the question, how can a God of love judge? And yet John here rightly knows and understands that God's judgment is necessary. In fact, God's judgment is an expression of His love because through His judgment, God removes evil and restores good. And yet the scroll is shut. There's no hope of restoration for the future. God had promised many times in the Old Testament that right from the beginning when sin entered into the world, He promised that soon the world and sin would be completely erased and perfection even restored. And yet it appears that no one can bring about God's plan.
Look at verse 5, Revelation 5, verse 5. "And one of the elders said to me, weep no more. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah at the root of David has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."
The angel commands John, stop weeping. Stop what you're doing. That's a foolish reaction. Instead, John, there's no need to weep. Instead, behold. Look. It's a word that's used in Scripture to speak of drawing your attention on one who is valuable and treasured. And John is called to behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David. He's told here to turn his eyes on Jesus. The ascended King, the Worthy One, the one who can unfold God's restoration plan for the universe.
He's described in two titles, Lion of Judah and the Root of David. The first title, Lion of the Judah, Tribe of Judah, sorry, comes from the Old Testament, from Genesis. And so turn back in your Bibles for a moment to Genesis 49. Genesis 49. And verse 8. Genesis 49, verse 8.
Jacob here is about to depart the world, and as was common in the ancient world, when your father was departing, he would bless his children. Here, Jacob blesses his 12 sons. And in verse 8 of Genesis 49, he says this, “Judah, your brother shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's son shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's cub. From the prey, my son, you've gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, and as a lioness, who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the fine, and his donkey's colt to the choice fine, He has washed his garments in wine, and has festered in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.”
Here Jacob pronounces the blessing on his son Judah, and he says here to Judah, Judah, from your descendants, one is going to come, is going to be a lion king, one who will reign forever.
Now, you know, I hope, about the lion, the king of beasts in Africa, and wherever you find them. Don't think about going down to the zoo, your local zoo. I don't know if you have a local zoo here. Your lion's normally tame there. It's behind an enclosure. You can take your selfies with it, and it will do you no harm. And yet go to Africa and do that, it's gonna end differently. Because the lion is to be feared. The lion is the king of beasts. The lion is majestic. The lion is strong and powerful. No one can overcome them. The lion is terrifying, putting fear in its enemies. And the lion conquers, devouring its enemies. And here, Judah, is promised, from your line, the Lion King will come. Majestic, strong, triumphant, conquering, terrifying.
And in Revelation 5, John says that he sees the Lion of the tribe of Judah. And not only that, the second title is Root of David. And it comes from Isaiah chapter 11. So, turn there, please.
Isaiah 11. Verse 1, it says this, "'There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his root shall bear fruit, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide disputes by what his ears hear. But with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. And he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.'
So here Isaiah speaks about one who will be a descendant of King David's family. Now, as you know, David was the best king to sit on Israel's throne. He was a man after God's own heart. And Isaiah prophesies here that one will come who is greater than this greatest king in Israel. This one will have the Holy Spirit resting upon him, empowering him to rule with righteousness and justice, empowering him to bring peace to the world. Now note that: peace to the world. World peace does not come through our own worldly leaders. World peace does not come through activists who have a campaign and protests. Rather, God's Word says that world peace comes through His chosen King, the King greater than David.
And in Revelation chapter five, if you turn there again with me, Revelation chapter five, the strong angel tells John, “weep no more.” Instead, look at God's promised King. Look at your savior. Look at your friend, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, who is worthy to open the scrolls. He's worthy to restore God's universe. See, the problem of the universe is that there's sin, there's death, and the devil exists. So, if God's creation is to be restored, these enemies need destroyed. And in Revelation 5, verse 5, it says, Jesus is worthy to unfold the scrolls, for he has conquered these enemies. Note that, it doesn't say he will conquer. Rather, it's past tense. The battle's already won. He's already triumphant and victorious. He has conquered. The plan is secure. God's restoration plan can unfold because Jesus Christ has conquered.
How did he conquer? Well, look at verse six; it gives us the answer. "And between the throne and the four living creatures, among the elders, I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out in all the earth." So, in verse five, John is told to stop weeping because the lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered. He's told to look and behold this majestic, terrifying, conquering, triumphant lion. And yet when John looks and turns to look, he doesn't see a lion. He sees a lamb, a lamb as though it had been slain. The word here for lamb refers to a small lamb, a pet lamb.
There at Christmas time, we normally in our church, I do not know if you do it here, but on Christmas morning we meet together at church and we have a service together. In that, we bring the children up to the front and we ask them to share what gifts they got on Christmas morning. Normally, they bring their toys, and it is very fun to see what they got. If you have ever heard about Gortmerron, we are in a rural context, out in the country with green fields everywhere. I asked one of the children, "What did you receive?" And he said, "I received three lambs this morning." And I said, "Oh, did they come under the Christmas tree?" He said, "No, they are outside. Mom would not let me have them in the house." He received three pet lambs for Christmas. And that is the word here. It is a family lamb. It is a pet lamb. It is something cherished in the family.
The word was used in the Old Testament to speak of the sacrificial lamb that was offered on the day of Passover by every family under the Old Testament law. This lamb that John sees had been slain. But now it is alive.
Back in chapter 4, John saw the throne room of God. The throne room of God stood at the center of the universe. And around the throne, he saw around the throne four living creatures, four living beasts. And these creatures, they in a sense, act as bodyguards to the throne room of God. They stand as creatures who defend and act on God's will. They're not cuddly, timid, passive teddy bears. They are terrifying creatures. Their only concern is to do the work of God.
So, the throne stands at the center. Around the throne are the four living creatures. Then John in chapter 4 saw around these four living creatures were twenty-four elders representing God's people. Around these twenty-four elders is the entire universe and the cosmos. The point is that God stands at the center. God is in the middle, and God is separated from everything else. He stands apart. He is holy, holy, holy.
And yet here in chapter five, note where John sees this lamb standing between the throne and the four living creatures. He stands beside God, for he is God. You see, Jesus is the lion, strong, majestic, mighty, conquering, but he's also the lamb, meek, gentle, lowly, humble, patient, and sacrificial.
And here is how Jesus has conquered. The conquering lion is the crucified lamb. Jesus' death on the cross was not a mistake. It's not a situation out of hand. Rather, the one with all authority, the one with all power, the one that no one messes with, laid down his life for his sheep to conquer God's enemies.
In fact, John sees the lion with seven horns. Horns in the Bible were the symbol of strength and power. Seven, again, the perfect number. It's perfect strength. He's unstoppable and undefeatable. He's got seven eyes, which are the seven spirits. It means he's all-seeing. He knows all things. Perfect knowledge. So, this is a king who has perfect strength, perfect knowledge. He's perfect in every way. And yet as a lamb, he laid down his life for the sake of His people.
Trinity, that is how Jesus conquered. That is why Jesus is worthy to restore God's universe, because He has dealt with sin. He has dealt with death. He has dealt with the devil. On the cross, He bore the sins of His people, suffering the wrath of God for them. He then died and was buried in the grave. And in a sense, we could say that Jesus jumped down in the death, blew it up to destroy it forever. And then on the third day, rose from the grave, conquering, triumphant, alive.
Colossians, Paul tells us that on the cross, Jesus disarmed the rulers and authorities of this world. Through His crucifixion, He conquered. Through His death, He destroyed. That is why He is worthy.
The lion and the lamb are ready to unfold God's history. And in verse 7, that is what He does. In verse 7, He goes to God, the Father on the throne. He takes the scroll from His right hand. And He takes control of God's future. He executes God's restoration plan.
Certainly, that means the future is not unknown. The future is not hanging in the balance between good and evil, and we never know what is going to happen. Instead, Revelation chapter five reminds us that history is in control. History is going to unfold as God has said it will because Jesus Christ rules and reigns over all.
What a comfort that would have been to John's first hearers, who were living under the Roman Empire with persecution, ridicule, and death as a constant threat. The Roman Empire was trying to stamp out Christianity, and yet here Revelation 5 says Jesus wins. What a comfort that should be to your own heart this morning.
You see, many people look at the future with doom and gloom in their eyes. Have you ever seen Winnie the Pooh? Is that a thing here? Yes? There is Eeyore, the donkey; he is grumpy, he is sad all the time. And many people look at the future like that. Many Christians look at the future like that. The world is a mess around us. I do not need to tell you that because you live in it. The world is messy; it is chaotic. And we look to the future and we say, many people say, is it just going to get worse? And yet here, Revelation 5 says it may get worse, but ultimately perfection is going to be restored. Jesus rules and reigns. He has conquered.
It gives us hope for the future in general, but it gives you hope for tomorrow as an individual living in 2026. I do not know what is going to come tomorrow for you. I do not know what is going to happen in this church in 2026. But I know living in this world means there is constant mess, there is constant heartache, and yet here is hope. Here is, in a sense, balm for the heart of the broken Christian. Jesus is in control.
Bereavement may come, friends. Job loss may come. A diagnosis from the doctor may come. Family tension may arise. And yet you can take refuge in Christ, the conquering, controlling King.
So why worship Christ? He's worthy because He's restoring God's universe. But secondly, I want you to see He's worthy because He's redeeming God's people. He's worthy because He's redeeming God's people.
You see, when Christ takes the scroll, we are told in verse 8 that the four living creatures and 24 elders fall down before Him and erupt in praise. In chapter 4, they fell down before God, and they worship the Father on the throne. And here they fall down before Jesus, reminding us that He's not simply a mere man. He's not the best of creatures. He's God of very God, King of kings and Lord of lords.
The elders have harps associated with praise. They have bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, praise, and prayer together. And according to verse nine, the elders and the four living creatures, they sing a new song. In scripture, a new song always is produced in response to God's gracious and salvific activity.
Look what they say. Verse nine, look what they sing. "Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You are slain. By Your blood You ransom people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And You have made them a kingdom and priests to your God, and they shall reign on the earth."
You see, this song, it focuses on the redemption that Jesus provides. It's a redemption hymn. In the ancient world, redemption referred to the act whereby a person paid the price to set a slave free to come under their care and service. And the Bible takes up that imagery to describe what Jesus does for His people. He redeems them from their slavery to sin by His blood and brings them into His family to live for Him.
Ligonier Ministries, they carried out this past year, 2025, a survey of the state of theology. And you can access it online. I don't know if some of you have read it or not, but it looks at evangelicals across America and it asks them certain questions of theology to see what they believe.
64% of evangelicals believe that everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God. 53% affirm that everyone sins just a little, but most people are good by nature. And yet, that is not the truth. That is not what God's holy and inspired Word says.
The Bible says that you and I, every single person, is born in sin. Jesus said, truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
Now many people in our world, they may not define sin in the way that we define sin, but if you press them, they're willing to say that they have said a bad word, or done a bad action, or had a bad thought. They don't define it as sin, but they're willing to admit that they've done wrong. And yet the Bible says that that is sin.
And the Bible says that the reason that we do those things, and we think those things, say those things, and do those things, is because we are enslaved to sin. We serve sin as our master. We live for it; we follow it.
Now sin as master is an abusive master that hurts and robs us. Sin is a deceitful master that promises pleasure but brings pain. And ultimately, sin is a destructive master. It brings destruction and turmoil in this world. But eventually, it brings the destruction of God. Because sin, the wages of sin, as Paul said in Romans, is death. That's where sin leads us to. Separation from God, death, punishment, hell.
We're enslaved to sin and yet the good news is the Bible says that Jesus came to set His people free from sin. To redeem them, to deliver them, to rescue them, to save them. And here in Revelation chapter 5, the four living creatures and the 24 elders, they sing about this redemption. Jesus has redeemed His people.
Now remember, to be redeemed in the ancient world, a price needed to be paid. What was the price that was paid? Well, look at verse 9 again. Verse 9 again, "...for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God." Here's the price that Jesus paid. It wasn't silver or gold, but as Peter says, it's the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
The Passover lamb in the Old Testament was what was sacrificed to atone for sin and appointed forward to the great lamb of God who was sacrificed for the sins of His people. You see, Trinity, here's the indescribable, unconditional love of Jesus for His people.
You see, you and I, we deserve nothing from Jesus. In fact, the only thing that we deserve is His wrath and His judgment and His separation, but He is so full of love, so full of grace and kindness, that He came to this world, He lived among us, and then He died for us. He sacrificed His life for us.
You see, for all eternity, Jesus Christ has known the favor and the blessing of His Father, the love and the communion with His Father. You ever ask what Jesus was doing before the world came into existence? John 17 says, "He was loving the Father. The Father was loving Him, and the Spirit was loving Father and Son.” Relationship of love, blessing and communion.
And yet on the cross, do you remember what he cries out? “Eli, Eli, lama sabbathani.” My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? In that moment, on that cross, Jesus was experiencing the wrath of his Father for you. To set you free, to redeem you. How lovely, how beautiful, how glorious is this savior.
Look at verse nine again. It says, “by Your blood You ransom people for God.” It's a reminder to us here that we're not set free, redeemed to live as we like. Rather salvation, redemption is purposeful. It's for relationship. To bring us into fellowship with God so that we can live for Him.
Verse 10 says, "and you have made them a kingdom and priest who are God, and they shall reign on the earth." The Christian is part of God's kingdom, serving Him as king. They are priests to God, having the privilege of ministering for Him every single day. And ultimately when Jesus restores God's universe, His people will reign with Him.
So, do you see, Trinity, what this redemption has provided for the believer? Yes, slavery from sin. Yes, freedom from that abusive, tyrannical taskmaster. But so much more. Fellowship. Love. A relationship with God. What we were created for.
You see, in the beginning, God created us for Himself. Sin ruined that relationship. And yet, Jesus restores our full humanity. Jesus makes us truly alive again. What a Savior, what a salvation that we have.
And yet, verse nine says, "by Your blood, you ransom people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." It's a reminder here that Jesus doesn't redeem every single person. It's not universalism. But He does redeem people from all over the world. Brothers and sisters in Christ, whether it's from America here, whether it's Africa, whether it's Antarctica, it doesn't matter. Jesus is working. He is saving people for His glory.
And it begs the question this morning then. Well, have you been redeemed? You see, it's wonderful to see a gathering like this, and I'm sure that in a gathering like this, there are people who are putting on performances, who are dressing the part simply to fit in, but you're not truly saved. You're still enslaved to sin. So, I want to ask you, has Jesus redeemed you? Has He set you free, has He brought you into God's family to serve Him the rest of your days? If so, sing about it. That's the hymn here; it's a redemption hymn.
Back in our church, we love a hymn, I don't know if you sing it, but it says this, “redeemed how I love to proclaim it, redeemed by the blood of the lamb, redeemed through his infinite mercy, his child forever I am.” And yet friends, if you've come this morning and you are playing the part, and you're not redeemed, you're enslaved to sin. And I want you to realize that you're under an abusive relationship. I want you to realize that you're not living life to the full. Yes, the world says you're living life to the full, but you're not. And in fact, when Christ returns, or if you die soon, you're going to a lost eternity, separated from God forever.
And yet this morning, this conquering King, the Lion and the Lamb, the Savior of the world says to you, “come on to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He's willing to save you, friend. He's willing to change your life, so come to Him this morning.
See, why is Jesus worthy? Because He's restoring God's universe. He's redeeming God's people, but lastly, He's receiving unparalleled praise. He's receiving unparalleled praise. You see, look at verse 11 with me of Revelation 5. Verse 11, "then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, the voice of many angels. Numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
See, sometimes we can have misconceptions about heaven. These misconceptions are probably, I don't know, promoted through how the world views heaven. Normally it's a, you know, a silent place. Shh, it's heaven. You have to be serious and silent. The world, in a sense, the depiction of heaven is that you're floating on a cloud, strumming a harp, peacefully and in tune. And yet, that's not heaven here. Do you see what heaven's depicted like? Heaven's noisy. Heaven booms with praise. And in a sense we could say it's a party because it's celebrating the Lamb, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed His people and has conquered. It reverberates with praise. Myriad means ten thousand. Myriads of myriads means an immeasurable amount. It means all heaven joined in one song. Jesus Christ is worthy.
Look at verse 13. "And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them saying, “to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever.” And the four living creatures said, "Amen.” And the elders fell down and they worshiped."
So here, John, in a sense, sees the rest of heaven, sorry, the hymn of heaven overflowing to the rest of the universe. He sees all creatures giving glory to the Father who sits on the throne and to the Lamb who is conquered. You see, that's heaven now. And that's where history is heading. Celebrating Jesus. Worshipping His name. Remember Paul said in Philippians chapter 2, "Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed in Him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
Jesus is worshipped in heaven right now. But a day is coming, friends, when he's gonna be worshipped by all the universe. Celebrated as the king. Rebellion ceased. Allegiance to Him. Again, how can we be certain of that? Because He's in control. He's restoring God's universe. So, He's determined the end, and the end is this. He will be glorified. It's a common theme in Scripture. It's a common theme in especially the Old Testament. God says, “I will be glorified among the nations.” And Jesus is gonna be glorified in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, all singing His praise.
See, Trinity, here's why Christ is worthy to be worshiped, because He's receiving unparalleled praise. In fact, if I could change it, I would say because He alone deserves unparalleled praise. In the sixth century BC, in the Babylonian Empire, Nebuchadnezzar commanded people to give him praise, and yet he did not deserve it.
In the first century A.D. in Asia Minor, Caesar, he was the emperor who was commanding people to give him worship and say Caesar is Lord, and yet he did not deserve it.
Right now in Dallas, back in Ireland, the world, the culture, everyone around us is saying follow it, live for it, bow down for it, to it. And yet they're not worthy of praise. They're not worthy of worship. They're all imposters. The only one worthy is Jesus Christ, the conquering One. And therefore, worship Him, friends. Yes, worship Him with your lips, through your songs and your singing, but it's not limited to your lips. Worship Him with your head, reading His Word, meditating on His Word day and night. Worship Him with your heart, allowing the Word not simply to store up here in the head, but to filter down into the heart and to transform your inner desires and your love and your affection. And then worship Him with your hands, allowing all of your actions, all that you do, to be done as a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice to Him.
You see, friends, this week I know that you're gonna be bombarded with voices from the world. You're gonna be tempted in the struggle of the Christian life to ask, is it worth following Jesus? Should I just give up? Should I just follow the world? Revelation 5 says, don't give up. Keep following Christ. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
Let's bow our heads and let's pray.
(Prayer) Father, we are just blown away by the fact that we have been able to have this opportunity and this privilege of opening Your Word and studying it together. And we thank You, Lord, that this passage, Revelation 5, is in our Bibles, and it shows us our Savior ascended in all of His majesty. And we thank You, Lord, that it reminds us that He is restoring God's universe, He is redeeming God's people, and He is receiving unparalleled praise. And therefore, Lord, help us in our hearts and in our lives to bow down with heaven and say He is worthy. Help us, Lord, to worship the Lamb.
And I do pray, Lord, today for just the struggling saints among us and the straying saints among us, those who may be tempted to say, they may give up and they may follow the world. I ask, O God, that they will see that it's not worth it. That following Jesus is worth it. Lord, we thank You for your Word. We thank you for the blessing that it is. And we pray, O God, that you will help us to be hearers and doers of it. In Jesus' name, amen. (End)
