You Are Worthy of it All

Through God’s love story the bible, there are many instances of the acceptance and acknowledgement of God’s right to rule and reign. One of the most beautiful and spectacular moments of worship depicted is in the New Testament. As you listen be blessed, empowered and transformed in Jesus name.

For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Also connect with us in discipleship, watch our videos, follow us on facebook or send us an email

Transcript

00:00 Intro music and voice over.

Welcome to jesus loves the world podcast. For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name! 

00:21 Speaker

Worship, true worship is not just an acknowledgement of God’s right to rule and reign, but it is also an acceptance of that right. In ancient cultures of humanity, the acceptance of the right to rule and reign, was expressed in various forms, including the payment of tributes to the one deemed more powerful. The one who seized power demanded tribute and worship for self gain. Those subjected to that power gave tributes and worship, to get favour from those they deemed in power.

Yet conversely as God is the eternal, self-existing, all powerful one, He has no need of anything. He does everything out of His selfless love, as that is His nature. Even though He is the only one worthy of it all, He never demands tributes or even worship. Instead God seeks true worshippers who are willing to not only acknowledge His right to rule and reign, but also desire to have a heart to heart connection with Him. Have a desire to enter into a covenant relationship with Him. For He alone is the only one worthy of all blessing, honour and glory. 

Through God’s love story the bible, there are many instances of the acceptance and acknowledgement of God’s right to rule and reign. One of the most beautiful and spectacular moments of worship depicted is in the New Testament. Where all those who have received Him, received His right to rule and reign are gathered around the throne. That is God’s throne of ultimate and absolute power. 

Those gathered around the throne have accepted and received God’s right to rule and reign. For out of a revelation of who God is, in reverence, awe and adoration have a heart to heart connection with Him.

So let us go to the book of the Revelation of Jesus, where we have a glimpse into heaven and that precious moment in time.

Let us read Revelation 4:8-11 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” 

The four living creatures give glory and honour to God as they know He is the creator of all things. God is the one who gave the very breath of life to His creation. All things exist by His will as it was His good pleasure to create. 

The 24 elders who in reverence give tribute to the one who sits on the throne. In what is a most dramatic act, throw down their crowns before the throne. This dramatic act is rich in meaning, awe and wonder of God. Not only do the 24 elders acknowledge God’s right to rule and reign as He is their creator, but also have chosen to surrender any right to rule and reign they have been given by Him back to Him. In surrender they acknowledge and demonstrate that any victory or crown they have, is a gift of God. For it is His victory and right to rule and reign that He has given to them. 

The 24 elders are representative of those who have received God’s right to rule and reign from both the Old and New Testament. They fall down before Him who sits upon the throne. They worship Him who lives forever. For He alone is worthy of it all. That is to receive glory and honour and power, for He created all things. He is the most glorious, most honourable and most powerful. 

The next dramatic scene in heaven depicted in the book of the Revelation of Jesus is when the scroll of salvation and judgement needs to be loosed upon the earth. 

Revelation 5:8-12 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

Together in complete unison the 4 living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb. That is in awe, reverence and adoration, they bow done before the lamb. The lamb being a symbolic representation of Jesus. 

For He, the Son of God who became the Son of Man redeemed humanity. He paid the cost in His shed blood for every person and people group throughout the ages. That is the cost of humanity’s freedom from all their offences ever said, thought or done against self, each other and God. 

Out of a revelation of who Jesus is and what He has done in His birth, life, death and resurrection, they declare He is worthy of it all.

The Lamb who was slain is worthy to receive power, riches and wisdom, strength and honour, glory and blessing. The creator of heaven and earth is worthy of it all.

All those who have said yes to Jesus, yes to God are made kings and priests to our God. For He is the creator of heaven and earth and all things good. Jesus the Son of God is the only one who can represent both God and humanity. For He is the Son of God who became the Son of Man. Being both fully divine and fully human, He is the only one worthy to take the scroll and bring the fulfilment of both salvation and judgement. 

Another treasured moment of worship depicted in the New Testament is honoured by Jesus Himself when He walked the earth as a man. It was dramatic yet tender, public yet personal. It was before Jesus laid down His human life and paid the cost for humanity’s offences throughout the ages. 

Let us go back to that moment in time. 

Matthew 26:6-13 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

What an incredible exchange. Out of a revelation of who God is and what He has done in Jesus, the woman poured a very costly fragrant oil upon Jesus’ head. In honour, awe and wonder, this woman responded to God in Jesus with a depth of sincerity, authenticity and gratitude that comes from God. 

The woman anointed Jesus’ head with an expensive fragrantoil. In the Old Testament the king’s head was anointed by oil as a symbol of approval of their kingship. That is the anointed person’s right to rule and reign as king was accepted by God and the people. With the anointing of Jesus’ head with oil, the woman reveals the depth of God in Jesus. 

According to the Old Testament the anointing oil was a blend of myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, calamus. In Jewish tradition myrrh was also used as the primary oil for burial preparations. It is a fragrance that is described as earthy, warm yet slightly bitter and smoky yet somewhat sweet. 

Not only is the woman testifying that Jesus is king, but that He is in fact sacrificing His life for her.

As she poured out the oil, it’s fragrance must have filled the room.

With this extravagant act that crossed all cultural boundaries, Jesus’ right to rule reign was not only recognised in her heart but was acknowledged for all to see. 

In her act of surrender, she not only testified that Jesus is the king of God’s kingdom and the promised Messiah, but that in His selfless love, the all powerful is sacrificing Himself to set  humanity free. 

This was indeed an extraordinary moment. The sensory onslaught of vision and aroma could not be ignored. All eyes and thoughts were turned to Jesus. 

His powerful response, ensures that the significance of this woman’s act would not be lost. Not only for those in the room at the time, but it would be retold from generation to generation,  until Jesus returns. 

Jesus honoured the woman by accepting her anointing of Him. The role of anointing was reserved for a priest or in some instances a prophet. Not only a priest or prophet but according to Jewish traditions this honorary role was reserved for the chosen male. 

Not only does Jesus accept this woman’s act of service and worship, but He raises her up in front of everyone. In acceptance of the woman’s anointing, Jesus raises her up to equal status and worth of not only a male but to Himself.

For this is the gospel and culture of God’s kingdom. All are raised up equal with Jesus, adopted into the beloved, a child of God. As first born son’s just like in ancient traditions, everyone who has received Jesus, received God inherit all of who Jesus is and what He has done and will do. 

Jesus honours the woman’s act of worship and testifies of this with His powerful words. He  states, ‘wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.’

This is such a powerful moment. Out of the revelation that Jesus is worthy of it all, Jesus reveals that the woman’s acceptance of Him and His sacrifice is the heart of the gospel. That is wherever the gospel is preached in the world throughout the ages, what this woman has done in anointing Jesus for His burial, will be told as a memorial to her. 

She received a revelation of who Jesus is and what He was about to do and accepted Him. Her response and choice was to receive Jesus’ sacrifice and thus His right to rule and reign. 

In what appeared to all those present as an extravagant act was in fact the gospel of Jesus Christ. The woman declared that Jesus, You are worthy of it all.  

So for us today, as we have taken a glimpse into the past, present and future, where thousands upon thousand generations fall down in worship, we too sing the song of freedom to the one who sits on the throne and to the lamb. Together with all those before us, we declare oh Lord You are worthy of it all. For you created all things and by your good will toward humanity and selfless love they exist. 

For You are holy, holy, holy forever and ever. You are the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. The one who was and is and is to come. You are the all powerful, almighty who is above all thrones, dominions, powers and positions. In your selfless love have redeemed us with your own shed blood and made us kings and priests. Together with you, we rule and reign above it all. 

We sing the song of freedom to the one who sits on the throne and to the lamb, for you are worthy of it all!

19:40 Outro music and voice over. 

For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name!