WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:03.759 The second reading is taken from Revelation 5. 00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:12.160 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. 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:18.480 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:24.239 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:29.199 And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it. 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:32.880 And one of the elders said to me, Weep no more. 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:39.679 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. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:51.280 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. 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:55.840 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 00:00:56.079 --> 00:01:06.959 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb, each holding a harp and golden bulls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:23.680 And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the 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 priest to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. 00:01:24.079 --> 00:01:40.000 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads and myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is a lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. 00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:50.959 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. 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:53.680 And the four living creatures said, Amen. 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:56.560 And the elders fell down and worshipped. 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:04.799 And Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be always pleasing in your sight, O Lord our Rock and our Redeemer. 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:05.680 Amen. 00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:10.319 What a beautiful day. 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:12.159 This is great. 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:15.120 It's always a beautiful day to worship, isn't it? 00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:16.800 Why do we worship? 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:18.240 Why do we sing? 00:02:18.639 --> 00:02:19.919 What's the big deal? 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:21.360 Have you ever thought about that? 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:22.960 Why do we worship? 00:02:23.680 --> 00:02:24.639 I was in college. 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:25.840 This is a horror story, by the way. 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:27.599 I'm going to share a brief horror story. 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:34.319 When I was in college, I heard one worship leader offer a particular answer to this question. 00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:43.840 This uh worship leader suggested that it's true when when we worship God, it's something he asks us to do, that's true. 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:46.560 But you know, it also just makes us feel really good. 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:48.159 And God wants us to be happy. 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:51.520 So when we worship him, it's that's great for him, but it's really it's about us. 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:53.759 It's making us feel really good. 00:02:54.800 --> 00:03:09.439 Now, my head kind of wanted to explode when I first heard this explanation, because when I read Revelation chapter 5, I cannot see heavenly worship at all reflecting that to be true. 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:14.159 Heavenly worship points us to one towards the one who is worthy. 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:18.639 Above all and everything else, he is worthy. 00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:32.800 And though tempted we may be to make worship about any number of things, worship could be uh an attempt to feel really good, worship could be an attempt to secure some kind of sense of security or identity for ourselves. 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:42.400 We might set our lives on something that we trust in, and we might ascribe to that worthiness or honor or glory or whatever else that looks like. 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:49.039 Worship can look like a number of things, but Revelation chapter five points us to the reason why we worship. 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:57.680 Why we worship in the sun and in the rain, why we worship in a pandemic, and why we worship and in the best of times and in the worst of times. 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:04.719 Revelation chapter five tells us why we sing, why we worship, and it's because he is worthy. 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:07.840 He is worthy to receive our worship. 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:10.080 Worthy is the Lamb who is slain. 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:14.000 That's what we just sung, these words from Revelation chapter 5. 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:16.480 This is good news for us, friends. 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:22.639 So, just as a bit of background for our passage here, Revelation, I think it's safe to say, is a very strange book. 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:28.160 If you've ever cracked Revelation open, you've probably uh encountered its uniqueness in many ways. 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:35.199 It is dense, it is symbolic, it is a vivid vision that God gives John for the sake of the church. 00:04:35.360 --> 00:04:41.839 And if you've ever cracked it open and found yourself more confused coming out of it than when you went into it, you're in good company. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:45.600 I think a lot of people find that to be true of revelation. 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:56.160 It is dense, it is not some kind of code to be uh um figured out or or you know decoded, and then it'll tell you next week's winning lottery numbers or something. 00:04:56.399 --> 00:04:57.839 Revelation is nothing of the sort. 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:07.680 Revelation is a word from God for the sake of the church, and that word is at the end of all things, the trajectory of history is such that Jesus wins. 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:14.560 And here we have John uh entering into, in his vision, entering into the heavenly throne room. 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:26.000 He's seeing the one who is seated on the throne, he's seeing the worthy one, and he's going to see the Lamb seated on the throne with uh God Almighty. 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:27.279 But there's a problem. 00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:29.519 Did you catch that in the first couple of verses? 00:05:29.600 --> 00:05:31.120 Chap verses one to four. 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:34.240 There's a problem in the throne room, and it goes like this. 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:40.160 The mighty angel announces, or pardon me, we see God with a scroll in his hands. 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:42.720 It's like a king ready to release an edict. 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:50.480 And the mighty angel says, Who's worthy to unseal this scroll and who's worthy to open it? 00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:53.360 And the problem is no one is found. 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:57.120 No one is found who's worthy to open up this scroll. 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:02.399 Rachel and I recently had uh someone come in to look at our fireplace. 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:04.720 We've got not just one, but two gas fireplaces. 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:13.360 We're really excited about that because when Rachel's reading upstairs and when I want to watch my war documentaries downstairs, we don't have to fight over who's getting the fireplace. 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:14.959 It's very exciting for us. 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:22.879 But when we decided to start the pylite on these, we've never had a fireplace for, let alone a gas fireplace, we decided uh we're going to give this a go. 00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:32.720 So we went to a little-known handyman website called YouTube, and we Googled, or pardon me, we YouTube how do you start a gas-lit fireplace? 00:06:32.879 --> 00:06:40.160 And just about every video we saw said something like this: be careful, because if you do this wrong, your house may explode. 00:06:40.399 --> 00:06:42.480 Every video started with this. 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:46.879 And we sort of thought to ourselves, well, we don't really want our house to explode. 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:54.720 So maybe it's best if we hire someone who knows what they're doing, someone who's authorized to do this, someone you could say who's worthy to do this. 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:57.680 Here is here we're in the heavenly throne room. 00:06:57.839 --> 00:06:59.439 God is holding the scroll. 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:03.439 This is God's redemptive blueprint for all of creation. 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:06.560 That's what we're going to see unfold in the next couple of chapters. 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:12.399 This is God's blueprint for redemption, and no one is found who's worthy to open it. 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:17.199 No wonder John weeps and wails in verses three and four. 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:20.480 We are so close to realizing the kingdom. 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:34.000 We are so close to seeing evil and suffering and pandemics answered by God's justice, and yet no one can be found who can open up this blueprint and move the kingdom forward. 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:39.519 Would we not be weeping and wailing if we came so close and yet no one is found? 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:41.120 You might say, well, God is God. 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:42.879 Can he just kind of do what he wants? 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:45.600 I mean, certainly God can do that, he's capable. 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:53.839 But since Genesis chapter 1, since the very beginning of the Bible, God has chosen to partner himself, partner himself with human beings. 00:07:54.079 --> 00:08:01.040 God wants to partner with humans to cultivate creation and see creation thrive and flourish. 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:05.839 God wants to partner with human beings to do that, and God is still committed to doing this. 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:12.079 And so God has appointed someone who is worthy, someone who's going to move his kingdom forward. 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:15.600 We come to a problem, we see a solution in the next couple of verses. 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:20.240 John is reassured by an elder that there is someone who's worthy. 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:24.000 And John hears a roar of a mighty lion. 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:26.319 But when he turns, he doesn't see a lion. 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:27.519 What does he see? 00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:29.680 He sees a lamb. 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:32.000 He sees a lamb that was slain. 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:34.399 The lion is a symbol of conquering. 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:35.759 It's a symbol of the Messiah. 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:47.919 It's a symbol of one who's to come, who's to conquer all of the enemies of God's people, conquer sin and death, and yet when he turns, he sees a sacrificed lamb that points us to God's substitute for sin. 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:56.080 God has answered sin by taking the sin of the world onto this lamb and putting it to death in this lamb. 00:08:56.399 --> 00:09:02.320 So that by putting this sin to death, this lamb may indeed conquer like a lion. 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:08.159 This lamb is worthy to open up the scroll, and we know exactly who this lamb is, don't we? 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:13.120 We know that this lamb is Jesus, who took our sin on himself on the cross. 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:27.840 We know that this lamb is Jesus, who's a conquering lion, who rose from the dead, who secured our place in the heavenly kingdom, who by faith we obey and pursue, and we rest assured that we will enter into his kingdom. 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:32.639 We are invited into that very same kingdom that he has secured. 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:34.639 That's what John is seeing. 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:41.200 John is seeing a lamb who has secured the kingdom for our sake, and this lamb is worthy. 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:44.720 Do you notice how all of heaven and all of creation respond? 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:48.960 The elders, the heavenly creatures, they all respond with worthy. 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:51.840 And then again they sing another song, worthy. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:10:05.279 And then all the elders, all the heavenly creatures, all of creations respond by saying, All glory and honor and power and might be ascribed to the Lamb, be ascribed to this worthy one. 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:07.519 Friends, this is why we worship. 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:15.759 We worship not because it has anything to do with us, not because of what we have to get out of it, but because of what the Lamb has accomplished for us. 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:18.000 This is why we worship in the rain. 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:20.159 This is why we worship on Zoom. 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:26.879 This is why we worship each and every day, pandemic or no, because the Lamb is still worthy. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:33.039 We gather as ones who are gathered by the one who is worthy for us. 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:36.080 So do you know this Lamb for yourself? 00:10:36.240 --> 00:10:38.240 Do you know the Lamb who is slain? 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:40.480 Do you know the conquering lion? 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:44.399 Do you know the one who has secured your hope from sin and death? 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:50.960 This is Jesus who reigns on the throne, who reigns over all of history and all the world. 00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:57.919 You can rest secure by placing your trust in this Lamb who is worthy for your sake. 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:06.080 And if you know this Lamb, if you're following this Lamb, if you are a disciple of Jesus, you might be wondering, well, what do I do next? 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:08.080 Well, here's what I might suggest. 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:13.519 I might suggest that we soak up his worthiness, kind of like we're soaking up the rain right now. 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:16.399 We soak up his worthiness. 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:25.200 When we come to him and we acknowledge just how worthy he is, how secure we are in him, I think two things happen. 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:29.679 I think one, we grow to a greater knowledge of ourselves as unworthy. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:37.519 We ourselves cannot have a hope of entering into the kingdom except for this Lamb who's secured that hope for us. 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:46.639 And when we come to a knowledge of ourselves as those who are unworthy, who, like John, weep and wail because of that, then we can confess our sin. 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:48.399 We can receive forgiveness. 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:54.240 We can know that this Lamb has atoned for our sin because he's taken it on himself and put it to death. 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:58.879 And we can have hope in the light of his resurrection, this conquering lion. 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:00.879 I think another thing happens too. 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:11.200 I think when we soak up the worthiness of the Lamb who is slain, then suddenly worship becomes less and less about how we feel and more about how worthy he is. 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:16.879 There are mornings where I say to myself, Self, I do not feel like waking up early to pray. 00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:20.879 I do not feel like waking up early today and cracking open my Bible. 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:23.759 In fact, I I feel so dry on the inside. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:26.000 Maybe I feel angry at God. 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:30.559 However it is that I feel, today I'm just not feeling worship. 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:35.519 If we soak up the worthiness of this lamb, suddenly we're repostured. 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:40.960 Worship is less about how it is that I'm made to feel and more about how worthy this lamb is. 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:43.200 The question is not how do I feel? 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:45.360 The question is, is he worthy? 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:52.159 And we know from all the worship of heaven, all the worship of creation, that this lamb is worthy. 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:58.240 Worthy is the lamb who is slain, to receive honor and power and glory and might. 00:12:58.559 --> 00:12:59.759 That's true today. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:01.919 Saints, that's true forever. 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:09.600 And our hope is that we too, in Christ, will be gathered into this kingdom, the kingdom of the Lamb who is slain, the worthy one. 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:14.080 So, Lord, we pray that you would work this hope in our hearts by your Holy Spirit. 00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:15.919 You are worthy. 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:20.000 Lord, we come to you acknowledging just how worthy you are. 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:24.080 By your death and resurrection, you have secured for us this hope. 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:25.679 Renew us today. 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:34.240 Lord, we offer to you our voices, our songs, our singing, our whole selves as a spiritual act of worship. 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:36.320 So, Father, be glorified. 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:38.080 Lord Jesus, you are worthy. 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:39.279 We pray in your name. 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:40.159 Amen.