SPEAKER_00: Welcome to DeSoto Hills Baptist Church.
SPEAKER_00: Our Sunday morning services are weekly at 9 and 10 30 a.m.
SPEAKER_00: You're listening to an audio recast of this past week's service.
SPEAKER_00: We hope you enjoy.
SPEAKER_00: God bless.
SPEAKER_01: When I started the Advent series that we did throughout December months ago, when I was deciding what to preach and if I wanted to do a series and things like that, and as I was praying through that, I was not planning on missing last week.
SPEAKER_01: Um that with family situations and some things that happened with Amber's family, we wound up needing to do Christmas and going down there and missing that Sunday.
SPEAKER_01: So then so I had to make a decision.
SPEAKER_01: I was trying to think through do I want to finish and use this passage that God has given me to finish this Advent series, or do I just want to go back into Acts?
SPEAKER_01: I couldn't decide.
SPEAKER_01: And finally, as I was praying through it, I decided, you know what, this passage brings a great closure to our Advent theme of, oh, come let us adore Him.
SPEAKER_01: But it also is a great challenge to begin a new year.
SPEAKER_01: So today we're going to be in Revelation, chapter, Revelation, chapter 4 and 5.
SPEAKER_01: And as when I say we're going to be in Revelation, probably in a lot of your minds, a lot of things come to mind.
SPEAKER_01: Because the Revelation is full of a lot of things.
SPEAKER_01: Now, let me bring some clarity.
SPEAKER_01: Let me take a couple moments to clarify a couple things in what we're doing today.
SPEAKER_01: One is we are taking a 10,000-foot view of Revelation.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, we're not, today our goal is not to look at all the symbolism and look at to get caught up in some of those weeds.
SPEAKER_01: That's a study for another day.
SPEAKER_01: Again, we're taking a 10,000-foot view of chapter 4 and 5 of Revelation.
SPEAKER_01: Second thing that I want us to see is we still need to put this book in its context, though, and what it's saying.
SPEAKER_01: In Revelation chapter 1, verse 1, God speaks, John writes the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.
SPEAKER_01: So here's what's happening in the book.
SPEAKER_01: Is he talking about things that are going to take place?
SPEAKER_01: Yes, he is.
SPEAKER_01: But I don't want you to miss the focus of this book.
SPEAKER_01: This book is a revelation.
SPEAKER_01: And so as we look today, as we as we look into John chapter, Revelation chapter 4 and 5, I want us to see, I want us to see that this is a revelation.
SPEAKER_01: It is God revealing Jesus to us.
SPEAKER_01: So if you're able this morning, I invite you to stand with me as we give honor to the reading of God's word of Revelation chapter 4 and 5.
SPEAKER_01: After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven.
SPEAKER_01: 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.
SPEAKER_01: At once I was in the spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, one with one seated on the throne.
SPEAKER_01: And who he who sat there had the appearance of Jasper and a carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.
SPEAKER_01: Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders clothed in white garments with golden crowns on their head.
SPEAKER_01: From the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass, like crystal.
SPEAKER_01: And around the throne on each side of the throne are four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.
SPEAKER_01: The first creature was like a lion.
SPEAKER_01: The second creature was like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.
SPEAKER_01: The four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night, they never cease to say, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.
SPEAKER_01: Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever.
SPEAKER_01: They cast down their crowns before the throne, saying, Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power.
SPEAKER_01: For you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.
SPEAKER_01: Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on back, sealed with seven seals.
SPEAKER_01: And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seal?
SPEAKER_01: And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.
SPEAKER_01: And I began to weep loudly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
SPEAKER_01: And one of the elders said to me, Weep no more.
SPEAKER_01: 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.
SPEAKER_01: And between the throne, 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 spirits of God, sent out into the earth.
SPEAKER_01: And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who is seated on the throne.
SPEAKER_01: 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 bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
SPEAKER_01: 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 ransom 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.
SPEAKER_01: Then I looked and heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, naming myriad, 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.
SPEAKER_01: 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.
SPEAKER_01: And the four living creatures said, Amen.
SPEAKER_01: And the elders fell down and worshiped.
SPEAKER_01: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_01: God, we thank you that you are seated on the throne.
SPEAKER_01: And that you have revealed yourself to us through your word.
SPEAKER_01: And through this passage today, you are revealing Jesus to us.
SPEAKER_01: May we catch a glimpse of you.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus, it's in your name we pray.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_01: As I read this passage, I'm reminded of the first time I went to First Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi.
SPEAKER_01: Now, if you've never been to First Baptist Jackson, imagine any First Baptist church and multiply it times Jackson.
SPEAKER_01: You get First Baptist Jackson.
SPEAKER_01: Okay?
SPEAKER_01: When I was at Mississippi College, my brother and I took a class called Baptist Works, and in that class we had to get some outside credit going to Baptist events, and one of the events that we could go to was the Mississippi Baptist Convention, which was just down the road from MC, and we could go and we could sit there all day and get a whole bunch of hours.
SPEAKER_01: So we decided to go, and it was at First Baptist Jackson.
SPEAKER_01: So we went, pulling up into the parking lot, we were pretty amazed.
SPEAKER_01: Walking through the building, I'm sure we were wide-eyed with mouths dropped.
SPEAKER_01: Imagine country come to town.
SPEAKER_01: That was us.
SPEAKER_01: Then we walked to the sanctuary at First Baptist Jackson.
SPEAKER_01: My brother said, How many bells of hay do you think we could get in here?
SPEAKER_01: Huge, beautiful, beautiful sanctuary.
SPEAKER_01: An amazing place.
SPEAKER_01: We walked in and were mesmerized by the building.
SPEAKER_01: What we see today is John seeing a vision, being given a vision of the throne room in heaven.
SPEAKER_01: And all who are there are worshiping our great God.
SPEAKER_01: And he was mesmerized.
SPEAKER_01: And as we look at this passage and understand what it's saying to us, one thing that we can know and we can see is that Jesus is victorious and we can worship him.
SPEAKER_01: We don't have to wait to get to heaven.
SPEAKER_01: We don't have to wait till he returns to go and adore him.
SPEAKER_01: Because Jesus is victorious, we can adore him today.
SPEAKER_01: We can worship him now.
SPEAKER_01: So our challenge, just as it has been all throughout this Advent study, as we looked at the life and death and burial and resurrection of Jesus, as we pondered his coming the first time, and said, Oh, come, let us adore him.
SPEAKER_01: As we looked at all of those things now, what we are able to do because we know that he came, we can look forward to his coming and be assured that he is coming again.
SPEAKER_01: So even today, we can come.
SPEAKER_01: And our challenge is, oh, come, let us adore him.
SPEAKER_01: So the question that we want to answer today then is this What did John see?
SPEAKER_01: As we read this passage and we looked at it, what exactly was it that John saw as he entered that throne room of heaven?
SPEAKER_01: Two major things that I think we can see here.
SPEAKER_01: Chapter four really kind of reveals to us the pageantry of heaven.
SPEAKER_01: Now, listen, I know that in a lot of contemporary settings and things in our churches, sometimes we can lose the pageantry of what was happening in the throne room.
SPEAKER_01: And listen, I also understand at the same time that when we have pageantry in our worship services for the sake of having pageantry in our worship services, not for the sake of pointing us to God.
SPEAKER_01: That's out of place too.
SPEAKER_01: But but we need to understand what's happening in heaven is there is some pageantry that is going on that is happening.
SPEAKER_01: But when John enters into that throne room, notice the first thing he sees.
SPEAKER_01: Now there are some amazing sights in the throne room.
SPEAKER_01: There are four living creatures that look pretty wild.
SPEAKER_01: There are 24 elders who are clothed in white with diadems, and we're gonna get there and see and see all of that.
SPEAKER_01: But those are not the things that he saw first.
SPEAKER_01: It was not a sea like crystal, it was not a rainbow that looked like emerald.
SPEAKER_01: That is not what John saw first.
SPEAKER_01: The first thing when John entered into that throne room of heaven is he saw the throne and God seated upon the throne.
SPEAKER_01: Listen, our focus, our focus when we are coming to adore him, can't be all of the things that are happening around us.
SPEAKER_01: Our focus has to be on God because he is seated upon the throne.
SPEAKER_01: We need to see him.
SPEAKER_01: And what John does is then he begins to try to describe God.
SPEAKER_01: Now others have tried to describe God.
SPEAKER_01: If you go even back to Daniel, in Daniel chapter 7, verses 9 and 10, Daniel does his best to describe the ancient of days.
SPEAKER_01: Who is God?
SPEAKER_01: Here's what he says: as I looked, thrones were placed, and the ancient of days took his seat.
SPEAKER_01: His clothing was white as snow, and his hair, the hair of his head was pure like wool, his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire, a stream of fire issued and came out from before him.
SPEAKER_01: A thousand, thousand served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
SPEAKER_01: The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
SPEAKER_01: We see Daniel tried to describe God in Daniel, and his words fall short.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, really, all that Daniel gives us a description of is his clothing and his hair.
SPEAKER_01: There's nothing else.
SPEAKER_01: You know why?
SPEAKER_01: Because just as we sing, God is indescribable.
SPEAKER_01: Our words fall short.
SPEAKER_01: And as we come to this throne room and and John trying to give a description of this vision, he kind of goes a different direction.
SPEAKER_01: He really doesn't try to describe any kind of characteristics of God.
SPEAKER_01: What he says is he is like.
SPEAKER_01: He describes to us what he is like.
SPEAKER_01: He is like a carnelian, he is like Jasper.
SPEAKER_01: Jasper is a very clear stone.
SPEAKER_01: Some commentators would even say it's like a diamond in its brilliance.
SPEAKER_01: I remember I remember going and shopping for a diamond when I was going to ask Amber to marry me.
SPEAKER_01: And I remember taking it, and because we were in Pontiac and the guy knew me, he said, take it outside in the sunlight.
SPEAKER_01: I said, Are you crazy?
SPEAKER_01: No way.
SPEAKER_01: Take it outside.
SPEAKER_01: Man, in the sunlight, how it gleamed and the brilliance of that diamond.
SPEAKER_01: Not only was there, he did he describe him as Jasper, he described him as carnelian, which is a blood-red stone.
SPEAKER_01: And there is a lot of symbolism, and we could get into that, but again, 10,000-foot view.
SPEAKER_01: We're not looking at necessarily the symbolism here.
SPEAKER_01: We're looking for the brilliance of walking into that throne room and seeing seeing God seated upon the throne.
SPEAKER_01: And the only way he could describe it is describe him as these two brilliant stones shining in the light of the sun.
SPEAKER_01: One commentator, he even goes on to describe it like this.
SPEAKER_01: And the sparkling beauty of such a vision would be sufficient to the sparkling beauty of such a vision would be sufficient to impress any viewer with the impressive royalty of the one who sat upon the throne.
SPEAKER_01: But again, John's not trying to tell us what God looks like.
SPEAKER_01: What John is trying to do is overwhelm us with the magnitude of who God is, because he is indescribable.
SPEAKER_01: He is beyond anything that we could see or know.
SPEAKER_01: Not only that, but he says around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald.
SPEAKER_01: And what we can imagine is the shape of a rainbow in the front of the throne with a glowing green of an emerald.
SPEAKER_01: Now compare that and add that to the majesty of the Jasper and the Cornelian and this green and the beauty that must have been in the throne room.
SPEAKER_01: John is there and he's already overwhelmed by what's happening.
SPEAKER_01: But then he says, around the throne were 24 thrones.
SPEAKER_01: And seated on the thrones were 24 elders.
SPEAKER_01: Now, again, there is a lot of debate on who these 24 elders are.
SPEAKER_01: Conversation for another day.
SPEAKER_01: 10,000-foot view.
SPEAKER_01: 24 people gathered on thrones in gleaming white with crowns like diadems on their head who are in the throne room.
SPEAKER_01: And then from the throne comes flashes of lightning and peels of thunder.
SPEAKER_01: Now, listen, I probably should have warned you.
SPEAKER_01: I need you to use your imagination here.
SPEAKER_01: Imagine this sight with me.
SPEAKER_01: Do you know?
SPEAKER_01: Can you think about when you have been asleep?
SPEAKER_01: I know it's had to have happened to you.
SPEAKER_01: When you have been asleep in the dead of the night and a thunderstorm comes through.
SPEAKER_01: Or maybe you weren't asleep, maybe you were just sitting there, and all of a sudden you hear boo.
SPEAKER_01: Made you jump out of your seat.
SPEAKER_01: Made the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
SPEAKER_01: That's what's going on time after time as John is standing before the throne.
SPEAKER_01: Lightning is flashing and thunder is booming, and he is standing there overwhelmed.
SPEAKER_01: And then it says, There are seven torches, which are the seven spirits of God.
SPEAKER_01: This is a description of the Holy Spirit who is there, obviously in the throne room, because he is God Himself as well.
SPEAKER_01: So he walks into the throne room.
SPEAKER_01: And he sees all of this.
SPEAKER_01: Then he looks above the throne.
SPEAKER_01: There are four living creatures flying around the throne.
SPEAKER_01: Now, again, pretty amazing-looking creatures.
SPEAKER_01: If you go back to Ezekiel in Ezekiel chapter 1 through 10, and see Ezekiel's description of creatures that he sees in his vision, we we can understand that these are probably cherubim who are flying around the throne.
SPEAKER_01: And again, we're not going to get into all the symbolism of what these creatures are, but understand what they are doing.
SPEAKER_01: They are flying around the throne and they are crying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.
SPEAKER_01: This week is I was reading through Started the Bible recap.
SPEAKER_01: I hope you have started it.
SPEAKER_01: If you haven't, pick it up today.
SPEAKER_01: Start on day one.
SPEAKER_01: Don't try to catch up.
SPEAKER_01: You'll just finish five days late.
SPEAKER_01: It'll be okay.
SPEAKER_01: We're doing this because what scripture is it's a revelation.
SPEAKER_01: Of God to us.
SPEAKER_01: So if he has revealed himself to us through scripture, guess what we better be doing?
SPEAKER_01: It's reading Scripture.
SPEAKER_01: Today or this week, as I was reading, talking about how God and in Genesis, even, we see the name of God, Yahweh.
SPEAKER_01: And Terry Cobble, she describes that the reason we see the name of God is because he has made himself personal.
SPEAKER_01: So we can have a personal relationship with him.
SPEAKER_01: But here's what she said, and this was an amazing statement.
SPEAKER_01: Just because God made himself personal, so we can have a relationship with him does not mean that he has lowered himself to meet us.
SPEAKER_01: Because he is holy, holy, holy.
SPEAKER_01: What he did is sent his son to come to us so then we could go to him.
SPEAKER_01: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.
SPEAKER_01: What scripture tells us here is that they were crying, they were singing the song they were crying out constantly, day after day and night after night.
SPEAKER_01: And it says every time that they cried out, the 24 elders would bow down and cast their throne, cast their crowns before the throne, and they would cry out for themselves, worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.
SPEAKER_01: For you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.
SPEAKER_01: So understand if they did this, every time the four creatures cried out, holy, holy, holy, understand where the 24 elders are constantly on their knees, bowed before the throne of God.
SPEAKER_01: There is pageantry in this throne room.
SPEAKER_01: But as we come to chapter 5, we see a spectacle.
SPEAKER_01: Something amazing happens.
SPEAKER_01: John tells us that in the beginning of chapter 5, he looks into the right hand of the one who is seated upon the throne and sees a scroll.
SPEAKER_01: And on this scroll, words are written on the inside and on the outside, and it is rolled up and sealed with seven seals.
SPEAKER_01: Again, there is conversations that are had about what is actually written on this scroll.
SPEAKER_01: Scripture doesn't actually tell us.
SPEAKER_01: There's things that we can think and infer.
SPEAKER_01: Conversation for another day, 10,000-foot view.
SPEAKER_01: Here's what we can know about this scroll.
SPEAKER_01: It is obvious that whatever is written on this scroll carries heavenly authority, and it is impressively important because it is filled on the inside and on the outside, and it has the seals of the king.
SPEAKER_01: And then an angel.
SPEAKER_01: Not just any kind of angel here, though, but in verse 2 it tells us a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, saying, Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seal?
SPEAKER_01: And it here's what it tells us that he searched in heaven and on earth and under the earth and found no one who is worthy.
SPEAKER_01: Here's what he's telling us.
SPEAKER_01: He looked everywhere among the living and among the dead, and no one was found worthy to open the scroll.
SPEAKER_01: No one was there.
SPEAKER_01: And what scripture tells us here is that John began to weep.
SPEAKER_01: The idea is this that he began to mourn.
SPEAKER_01: He didn't begin to weep as we do tearing up at an emotional movie.
SPEAKER_01: He is sobbing.
SPEAKER_01: Because there is a chance that this important scroll never gets opened because no one is worthy.
SPEAKER_01: Even if it is open, it is indefinitely, they have to wait indefinitely to find someone who is worthy.
SPEAKER_01: And he begins to sob.
SPEAKER_01: Now again, catch the picture.
SPEAKER_01: Use your imagination here a little bit.
SPEAKER_01: Here's what he's doing.
SPEAKER_01: He's not sobbing looking around the throne room.
SPEAKER_01: He is sobbing.
SPEAKER_01: He is weeping.
SPEAKER_01: The way I picture John doing it is maybe even seated, but if not seated, at least with his hands buried, uncontrollably sobbing, because this important document is not going to be opened.
SPEAKER_01: And then one of the elders comes to him as he sobs.
SPEAKER_01: And he says, Weep no more.
SPEAKER_01: Behold, the Lion, the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.
SPEAKER_01: Now again, stay in that imaginative state and picture this.
SPEAKER_01: Close your eyes if you need to.
SPEAKER_01: And someone says, Stop crying.
SPEAKER_01: The lion from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, so he is worthy to open the scroll.
SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine for with me for a moment what John is expecting to see when he looks up?
SPEAKER_01: He's expecting to see a lion in its majesty, flowing mane, conquering, beautiful animal, reigning king of the jungle.
SPEAKER_01: And as he raises his eyes, the lion from the tribe of Judah is a lamb.
SPEAKER_01: Not just any lamb.
SPEAKER_01: A lamb that looks as if he had been slain.
SPEAKER_01: There's some things we need to see about this lamb.
SPEAKER_01: First, we see that he is standing in the throne room.
SPEAKER_01: And besides the four living creatures who are flying, but they have their faces covered.
SPEAKER_01: Where is everybody else in the throne room?
SPEAKER_01: They're bowing.
SPEAKER_01: They are on their hands and knees in the presence of an indescribable God.
SPEAKER_01: But this lamb stands before the throne.
SPEAKER_01: Tells us he has seven horns, showing us that he is all-powerful.
SPEAKER_01: Connecting him with the Father who is seated upon the throne because he is God himself.
SPEAKER_01: He has seven eyes connecting him, his omniscience with the Holy Spirit, who is there as well.
SPEAKER_01: We see an awesome picture of the Trinity of God.
SPEAKER_01: This Lamb standing before the throne.
SPEAKER_01: And see what he does.
SPEAKER_01: And takes from the right hand of God the scroll.
SPEAKER_01: And immediately, immediately in heaven, what it tells us in verse 8, when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures, the 24 elders, fell down before the lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, and they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain.
SPEAKER_01: And by your blood you ransomed people for God, from every tribe and language and people and nation.
SPEAKER_01: This lamb goes before the throne and he takes the scroll.
SPEAKER_01: And all of heaven turns its attention from the throne to the Lamb who is worthy to be praised because he has fulfilled what the Father had laid out from before the foundation of time.
SPEAKER_01: He came and ransomed.
SPEAKER_01: He paid the price for those who had sinned and who had lived in sin.
SPEAKER_01: He paid the price for you and for me.
SPEAKER_01: He conquered that sin upon the cross.
SPEAKER_01: He conquered death in his resurrection.
SPEAKER_01: He freed us.
SPEAKER_01: And because of that, he is worthy to take the scroll.
SPEAKER_01: And all of heaven turned and began to worship him.
SPEAKER_01: Understand?
SPEAKER_01: You know your Ten Commandments.
SPEAKER_01: If we worship anybody but God Himself, guess what?
SPEAKER_01: We are living in sin.
SPEAKER_01: So it tells us this that the Lamb is God.
SPEAKER_01: He was God.
SPEAKER_01: He is God.
SPEAKER_01: He always will be God because all of heaven turned their attention and began to praise Him.
SPEAKER_01: Because He died to save us.
SPEAKER_01: To save people from every tribe and every language and every nation.
SPEAKER_01: And He made them a kingdom of priests.
SPEAKER_01: He made us a kingdom and priests to our God to reign forever.
SPEAKER_01: What a spectacle.
SPEAKER_01: But it didn't end.
SPEAKER_01: Then the angels joined in.
SPEAKER_01: Myriads of myriads.
SPEAKER_01: Thousands of thousands.
SPEAKER_01: Innumerable.
SPEAKER_01: A sea of angels began to praise the Lamb.
SPEAKER_01: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.
SPEAKER_01: 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.
SPEAKER_01: We can be assured that one day Jesus is coming back.
SPEAKER_01: We will be able to see a picture of this throne.
SPEAKER_01: How can we know?
SPEAKER_01: Because he came.
SPEAKER_01: He came the first time.
SPEAKER_01: And we can know he's coming back because the first time that he came, he died on the cross and he arose so that we could enter into that throne room.
SPEAKER_01: The only way that we can ever be there is because he was victorious over sin and death and the grave.
SPEAKER_01: And when we trust in him, how crazy would it be for Jesus to have done that and not come back?
SPEAKER_01: You can be assured that he's coming back.
SPEAKER_01: And we will get to experience this throne room.
SPEAKER_01: But please hear me.
SPEAKER_01: Because he is victorious, there is no reason to wait.
SPEAKER_01: Today, oh come.
SPEAKER_01: Let us adore Him.
SPEAKER_01: About to enter into a time of invitation.
SPEAKER_01: If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, hear me.
SPEAKER_01: You're separated from God, and because He is holy and separated, you can never get to Him.
SPEAKER_01: But Jesus came and died so He can take us to Him.
SPEAKER_01: And the only way that happens is when you believe in Him.
SPEAKER_01: During our invitation time, as we stand and sing, if you've never trusted Christ as your Savior, we invite you to come.
SPEAKER_01: We would love to share with you how you can trust Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Also want to challenge you this if you have trusted Him.
SPEAKER_01: May 2026 be a year full of us adoring the Lamb who was slain.
SPEAKER_01: Daily, weekly, monthly.
SPEAKER_01: May we come and adore Him.
SPEAKER_01: God, I thank you for today.
SPEAKER_01: God, I thank you.
SPEAKER_01: I thank you for this revelation of Jesus that you gave to us.
SPEAKER_01: God, every time I read it, every time I describe it, every time I think about it, Father, I tear up.
SPEAKER_01: Imagining what John saw as he was sobbing to look up and see the lion from the tribe of Judah, who is the lamb who was slain.
SPEAKER_01: Oh God.
SPEAKER_01: May today we come and adore you.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus, it's in your name that we pray.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to this week's sermon.
SPEAKER_00: If you have any questions for our pastor, feel free to reach out at DeSotoHills.com.