WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:02.319 If you have a copy of scriptures, I would invite 00:00:02.319 --> 00:00:04.679 you to find the very last book of the Bible, 00:00:04.740 --> 00:00:09.019 the book of the Revelation. And we will be looking 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:24.239 at chapter 5 this morning in just a moment. Before 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:28.579 we begin, would you intercede with me that the 00:00:28.579 --> 00:00:31.449 Lord... would open up his word to us this morning. 00:00:31.510 --> 00:00:34.270 Let's bow and ask him to help. Father, in your 00:00:34.270 --> 00:00:38.450 mercy, Lord. God, we will not have eyes to see 00:00:38.450 --> 00:00:41.130 or ears to hear unless your spirit, Lord, opens 00:00:41.130 --> 00:00:44.130 them. And Father, this morning we pray that you 00:00:44.130 --> 00:00:46.350 would do so, that we might behold wondrous things 00:00:46.350 --> 00:00:51.250 out of your law. Lord, reveal Christ to us. Expand, 00:00:51.250 --> 00:00:54.689 Lord, our understanding of his greatness and 00:00:54.689 --> 00:00:58.979 of his majesty and of his glory, Lord. Jesus 00:00:58.979 --> 00:01:01.100 is the son in whom you are well pleased, Lord. 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:03.939 Let us make much of him this morning, we pray 00:01:03.939 --> 00:01:08.239 in Christ's name. Amen. So we come to the final 00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:11.159 Sunday of September where we're going to end 00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:15.620 our missions emphasis month. We began three short 00:01:15.620 --> 00:01:18.319 weeks ago with Brother Josh Wormley, our missionary 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:21.480 in Africa, and he started to detail the work 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:24.219 of missions and even some of the dangers that 00:01:24.219 --> 00:01:27.099 missionaries may face on the field. Then the 00:01:27.099 --> 00:01:29.879 following Sunday, the 14th, Pastor Kyle preached 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:33.260 really on the movement of missions. How it starts 00:01:33.260 --> 00:01:36.560 out locally in Jerusalem, Judea, spreads out 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:39.500 to Samaria, and then eventually goes to the uttermost 00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:43.000 parts of the earth. Last week we had Pastor Greg 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:45.700 Wagner with us and he preached on the message 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:49.939 of missions. And today I want to finish with 00:01:49.939 --> 00:01:53.819 the goal. What's the end of missions? Sometimes 00:01:53.819 --> 00:01:56.900 you might understand the word telos. Telos means 00:01:56.900 --> 00:01:59.640 the purpose. What is the purpose? What's the 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:03.120 goal in mind with missions? Now, some may say, 00:02:03.180 --> 00:02:06.280 well, it's to get as many people saved from hell 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:10.960 as possible. That's worthy, and that's admirable, 00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:14.479 but it's not the main goal. If we're going to 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:16.599 understand the end of missions or the goal of 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:19.520 it, we need to ask, what is God's purpose? What 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:22.879 is his goal in that we send out missionaries? 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:27.930 And Jesus told us this. In John chapter 4, Jesus 00:02:27.930 --> 00:02:33.129 said that the Father is seeking something. What 00:02:33.129 --> 00:02:36.650 is it that the Father wants? In John chapter 00:02:36.650 --> 00:02:40.990 4, Jesus said the Father is seeking worshipers. 00:02:41.729 --> 00:02:45.689 Those who will worship him in spirit and in truth. 00:02:46.389 --> 00:02:51.729 The goal of missions is worship. John Piper famously 00:02:51.729 --> 00:02:55.710 said that missions exist because worship doesn't. 00:02:56.449 --> 00:02:59.370 And so he went on to say, missions is our way 00:02:59.370 --> 00:03:03.870 of saying the joy of knowing Christ. It is not 00:03:03.870 --> 00:03:07.710 a private or a tribal or a national, nor is it 00:03:07.710 --> 00:03:12.750 an ethnic privilege. It is for all. So that telos, 00:03:12.750 --> 00:03:16.009 or the end or the goal of missions, is worship. 00:03:16.830 --> 00:03:21.599 But not just any worship. Christ -centered, Christ 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:25.599 -exalting, Trinitarian worship. That is, worship 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:29.379 directed to the Father, in the Son, by the Spirit. 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:33.120 See, the goal of missions is never about us, 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:36.960 or primarily about us. Everything that takes 00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:40.620 place is for the promotion of God and His glory. 00:03:41.379 --> 00:03:43.840 So when we talk about missions, it is to create 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:49.259 worshipers who will give glory to God. What is 00:03:49.259 --> 00:03:52.639 the chief end of man? Can't look at you, Kim. 00:03:54.120 --> 00:03:56.719 The chief end of man is to glorify God and to 00:03:56.719 --> 00:04:01.659 enjoy Him forever. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 00:04:01.659 --> 00:04:04.639 10, whether you eat or drink or whatever you 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:10.860 do, do all to the glory of God. Everything, eating, 00:04:11.020 --> 00:04:13.199 drinking, mundane tasks such as that, is for 00:04:13.199 --> 00:04:15.400 the glory of God, which means everything you 00:04:15.400 --> 00:04:19.939 do ends in worship. What does it mean then to 00:04:19.939 --> 00:04:23.959 worship God? It's a Christian buzzword. We gather 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:28.860 for corporate worship. But what do we mean? To 00:04:28.860 --> 00:04:33.240 worship is to ascribe ultimate worth and glory 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:38.540 and reverence and awe and love and devotion to 00:04:38.540 --> 00:04:43.560 God who alone is worthy. Worship is the believer's 00:04:43.560 --> 00:04:47.639 response to God's saving grace. It really involves 00:04:47.639 --> 00:04:52.579 two parts. There's adoration and there's submission. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.060 In the Old Testament, written primarily in Hebrew, 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:59.660 there are two commonly words used. You have shahah 00:04:59.660 --> 00:05:06.480 to bow down and abad to serve. So one word, shahah, 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:11.639 describes our posture. We bow down. It is good 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:13.819 to get on our knees. It is good to bow our heads 00:05:13.819 --> 00:05:17.730 before him. And the other word, abad, is to serve. 00:05:17.790 --> 00:05:21.029 That describes our action. We serve our king. 00:05:21.889 --> 00:05:24.970 The New Testament, written in Greek, follows 00:05:24.970 --> 00:05:27.649 the same pattern here. There's two commonly used 00:05:27.649 --> 00:05:30.889 words. You have proskuneo, which means to bow 00:05:30.889 --> 00:05:35.930 down, to prostrate oneself. And lathruyo, to 00:05:35.930 --> 00:05:39.370 serve or to minister. So worship, when we're 00:05:39.370 --> 00:05:41.370 talking about worship this morning, we're talking 00:05:41.370 --> 00:05:44.899 about bowing down before our king. We recognize 00:05:44.899 --> 00:05:47.579 his sovereignty. And by bowing down, we show 00:05:47.579 --> 00:05:51.199 our humility, but we also show our dependence 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:55.160 upon him. And secondly, though, we serve him. 00:05:56.480 --> 00:05:58.279 Now, I want to look at a passage this morning 00:05:58.279 --> 00:06:00.740 found in the fifth chapter of the book of the 00:06:00.740 --> 00:06:03.740 Revelation. Let me just say as a side note, this 00:06:03.740 --> 00:06:07.139 is not the book of Revelations, plural. It is 00:06:07.139 --> 00:06:09.439 one. There's just one revelation. Chapter 1, 00:06:09.500 --> 00:06:12.699 verse 1 says, the revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:16.199 It's the unveiling, the revealing of Christ. 00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:19.899 Now in chapter 4, the apostle John, who wrote 00:06:19.899 --> 00:06:23.100 the book, he was invited into the throne room 00:06:23.100 --> 00:06:26.399 of heaven. And we find them in chapter 4 singing 00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:29.360 praises to Christ because of his role in creation. 00:06:30.500 --> 00:06:33.060 Now we move to chapter 5 and the theme switches. 00:06:34.019 --> 00:06:36.720 From Christ the creator to Christ the redeemer. 00:06:37.339 --> 00:06:39.079 And we're going to spend the next few moments 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:41.540 looking at this chapter together. Let's look 00:06:41.540 --> 00:06:44.750 at the first four verses. In John writing, he 00:06:44.750 --> 00:06:47.470 says, and I saw, this is a vision, and I saw 00:06:47.470 --> 00:06:50.689 in the right hand of him who sat on the throne 00:06:50.689 --> 00:06:54.529 a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed 00:06:54.529 --> 00:06:58.810 with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming 00:06:58.810 --> 00:07:02.589 with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the 00:07:02.589 --> 00:07:07.290 scroll and to loose its seals? And no one in 00:07:07.290 --> 00:07:10.790 heaven or on the earth or under the earth was 00:07:10.790 --> 00:07:13.759 able to open the scroll. Or to even look at it. 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:18.860 So I wept much. Because no one was found worthy. 00:07:19.459 --> 00:07:21.560 No one was found worthy to open and read the 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:25.459 scroll or to even look at it. So we have a scene 00:07:25.459 --> 00:07:29.120 set before us. God the Father is seated on his 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:31.060 throne. And in his right hand there's a scroll. 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:34.480 And we're told it has seven seals. And the scroll 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:37.620 has writing on both sides. Which indicates it 00:07:37.620 --> 00:07:41.519 is complete and nothing can be added. What does 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:44.399 this scroll contain? It's the title deed to the 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:47.019 earth. It is God's sovereign plan for history, 00:07:47.180 --> 00:07:52.279 for judgment, and redemption. And there are seven 00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:55.540 seals. Seven in scripture symbolizes completion 00:07:55.540 --> 00:07:58.279 or perfection. Think of the seven days of creation. 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:01.959 So the seven seals that the scroll has means 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:05.420 it is perfectly and completely sealed and complete. 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:09.360 The contents, though, are totally inaccessible 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:12.060 at this point. To go back to the ancient world, 00:08:12.100 --> 00:08:13.759 when they wanted to have a binding document, 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:16.800 they were sealed with a king's signet ring to 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:19.519 prevent tampering. And if it had more than one 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:22.639 seal, it showed the importance of it. For example, 00:08:22.819 --> 00:08:26.040 a will might be sealed several times, meaning 00:08:26.040 --> 00:08:28.259 it could only be opened by the rightful heir. 00:08:29.459 --> 00:08:32.799 So now you have God the Father in his right hand. 00:08:33.460 --> 00:08:35.899 He's holding a mysterious scroll. No one's even 00:08:35.899 --> 00:08:38.980 worthy to look upon it. In verse 2, we have a 00:08:38.980 --> 00:08:43.049 strong angel. And he cries out with a loud voice. 00:08:43.690 --> 00:08:48.529 Strong angel, loud voice. It's important. Who's 00:08:48.529 --> 00:08:52.210 worthy to open the scroll and loose its seals? 00:08:52.669 --> 00:08:55.909 Now notice what it does not say. It doesn't say 00:08:55.909 --> 00:09:00.450 who can open it. It says who is worthy to open 00:09:00.450 --> 00:09:04.370 it. This is not a question about strength. It's 00:09:04.370 --> 00:09:09.580 a question about worth. has the innate worthiness 00:09:09.580 --> 00:09:12.720 of character? Who has the divine right that would 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:15.299 qualify him to take the title deed of the earth 00:09:15.299 --> 00:09:20.019 and open it? You see the answer in verse 3. And 00:09:20.019 --> 00:09:23.360 no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:26.419 was able to open the scroll. And I love John's 00:09:26.419 --> 00:09:29.220 addendum here. Not only were they unworthy to 00:09:29.220 --> 00:09:31.360 open it, they were unworthy to even look at it. 00:09:32.330 --> 00:09:35.649 There's no one worthy. All creation falls short. 00:09:35.850 --> 00:09:38.909 There is not an angel, a man, or a woman in all 00:09:38.909 --> 00:09:43.750 creation who is able to open this document. Clearly 00:09:43.750 --> 00:09:46.490 we see humanity's inability to redeem itself. 00:09:47.429 --> 00:09:51.070 We're all unworthy. And this unworthiness is 00:09:51.070 --> 00:09:54.730 universal. There's not anyone in the entire universe 00:09:54.730 --> 00:09:58.210 found worthy to open the scroll and to break 00:09:58.210 --> 00:10:01.950 the seals. So John has this visceral response 00:10:01.950 --> 00:10:09.110 in verse 4. I wept much. He's weeping. He's weeping 00:10:09.110 --> 00:10:13.049 strongly because no one is found worthy to open 00:10:13.049 --> 00:10:17.009 it or to read it. So the apostle John himself... 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:20.659 One chosen by Christ, the beloved apostle. He's 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:23.159 not worthy and he's weeping much because without 00:10:23.159 --> 00:10:25.700 the scroll being open, God's plan of redemption 00:10:25.700 --> 00:10:28.940 is not completed. And much more, the judgments 00:10:28.940 --> 00:10:30.960 that are going to fall on the earth and right 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:36.940 all the wrongs will never take place. He's left 00:10:36.940 --> 00:10:39.659 in a conundrum here. He's weeping. What's going 00:10:39.659 --> 00:10:44.899 to happen? Verse 5. But one of the elders said 00:10:44.899 --> 00:10:51.049 to me, Do not weep. Behold the lion of the tribe 00:10:51.049 --> 00:10:56.210 of Judah, the root of David. He has prevailed 00:10:56.210 --> 00:10:59.389 to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. 00:10:59.950 --> 00:11:04.590 Don't weep. There is hope. There is one who is 00:11:04.590 --> 00:11:08.309 worthy. There is one who is qualified. One who 00:11:08.309 --> 00:11:10.690 is able not only to look upon the scroll, but 00:11:10.690 --> 00:11:15.200 to open it and to loose its seals. There is an 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:19.799 appointed heir. It's the title deed. One person 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:23.019 qualified with the divine right and the moral 00:11:23.019 --> 00:11:26.539 authority to exact judgment on humanity and at 00:11:26.539 --> 00:11:31.220 the same time redeem God's people. He, who, excuse 00:11:31.220 --> 00:11:35.139 me, is that rightful heir? It's the root of David. 00:11:35.620 --> 00:11:39.509 This is Jesus Christ. The book of Hebrews chapter 00:11:39.509 --> 00:11:42.929 1 tells us that Christ is, quote, the heir of 00:11:42.929 --> 00:11:47.509 all things. Psalm chapter 2 tells us, or the 00:11:47.509 --> 00:11:50.269 second Psalm, shows us that Christ was the one 00:11:50.269 --> 00:11:52.990 to whom the Father gave a promise. What's that 00:11:52.990 --> 00:11:55.330 promise? You're going to rule the earth and inherit 00:11:55.330 --> 00:11:59.750 all the nations. In Psalm 2, we see God speaking. 00:12:00.769 --> 00:12:03.470 So the rulers are raging. He says, I have set 00:12:03.470 --> 00:12:07.539 my king on my holy hill of Zion. I will declare 00:12:07.539 --> 00:12:10.879 the decree. The Lord has said to me, you are 00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:14.919 my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me 00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:18.539 and I will give you the nations for your inheritance. 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:20.980 And the ends of the earth for your possession. 00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:25.539 He gets it all. All creation is his. You shall 00:12:25.539 --> 00:12:28.320 break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:31.059 them to pieces like a potter's vessel. You, Jesus, 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:34.100 will bring judgment. But first he will bring 00:12:34.100 --> 00:12:38.000 redemption. There is one who is qualified to 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:40.759 open the scroll, to loose the seals, and release 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:45.500 judgments on the earth. Well, who is he? He never 00:12:45.500 --> 00:12:48.019 says Jesus. He first of all says the Lion of 00:12:48.019 --> 00:12:51.200 the tribe of Judah. This is a reference to the 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:53.500 Messianic King. We read about this in Genesis 00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:57.100 49. And I love how the Old Testament leads and 00:12:57.100 --> 00:13:00.860 dovetails into the New. Genesis 49, verse 8. 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:04.700 Judah. You are he whom your brother shall praise. 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:07.539 And Judah means praise, by the way. Your hand 00:13:07.539 --> 00:13:10.419 shall be on the neck of your enemies. Your father's 00:13:10.419 --> 00:13:14.639 children shall bow down before you. Judah is 00:13:14.639 --> 00:13:17.320 a lion's whelp. From the prey, my son, you have 00:13:17.320 --> 00:13:20.779 gone up. He bows down. He lies down like a lion. 00:13:20.860 --> 00:13:22.980 And as a lion, who shall rouse him? Now look 00:13:22.980 --> 00:13:26.519 at verse 10. This is the promise. The scepter, 00:13:26.580 --> 00:13:30.639 the rule, shall not depart from Judah. nor a 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:33.899 lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh, 00:13:34.019 --> 00:13:39.059 until Messiah comes. And to him, this one from 00:13:39.059 --> 00:13:41.840 Judah, shall be the obedience of the people. 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:46.620 John says, that's Jesus. And in case we're confused, 00:13:46.779 --> 00:13:49.980 he said, it's the root of David. The root of 00:13:49.980 --> 00:13:53.740 David? Yeah, Isaiah 11, 1 and 10. There shall 00:13:53.740 --> 00:13:56.240 come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse. Jesse's 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:58.679 David's father. And a branch shall grow out of 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:01.500 his roots. And in that day there shall be a root 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:04.679 of Jesse who shall stand as a banner to the people 00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:07.360 for the Gentiles shall seek him and his resting 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:09.720 place shall be glorious. Okay, now understand 00:14:09.720 --> 00:14:12.980 what Isaiah is saying. There's coming one who 00:14:12.980 --> 00:14:14.840 descended from Jesse. He's actually going to 00:14:14.840 --> 00:14:19.009 be a descendant of David. He brought David's 00:14:19.009 --> 00:14:24.370 line into existence as the creator. Yet he also 00:14:24.370 --> 00:14:29.370 has his roots in David as his descendant. Now 00:14:29.370 --> 00:14:31.870 that ought to make you scratch your head. How 00:14:31.870 --> 00:14:36.870 can this Messiah be both David's creator and 00:14:36.870 --> 00:14:39.830 his descendant? By the way, that was the very 00:14:39.830 --> 00:14:42.610 question that Jesus Christ posed to the Pharisees. 00:14:43.809 --> 00:14:49.659 As a human. One born of Mary. Jesus had his root 00:14:49.659 --> 00:14:54.759 in David. But as God, the eternal son, he is 00:14:54.759 --> 00:15:00.279 the root of David. And he is both human and divine. 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:04.639 The God -man we're speaking of here. The elder 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:07.200 then, in Revelation 5, he comes to the apostle 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:11.340 John. He says, stop crying. There's a lion who's 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:14.600 prevailed. He's worthy to open this scroll. He's 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:17.600 worthy to reveal its contents. How did he prevail 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:21.940 though? Through his death and resurrection. It 00:15:21.940 --> 00:15:23.720 was through the death and resurrection that the 00:15:23.720 --> 00:15:27.620 Lord Jesus defeated Satan, overcame sin, vanquished 00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:30.460 death, and it granted him the sovereign authority 00:15:30.460 --> 00:15:34.399 of the earth and to open all scrolls. Now the 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:36.299 remainder of chapter 5 is going to be focused 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:40.120 on the worship of this lion. Look at verses 6 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:44.210 and 7. And I looked, and behold, in the midst 00:15:44.210 --> 00:15:46.690 of the throne and of the four living creatures, 00:15:46.769 --> 00:15:50.590 in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though 00:15:50.590 --> 00:15:53.649 it had been slain, having seven horns and seven 00:15:53.649 --> 00:15:56.549 eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent 00:15:56.549 --> 00:15:59.750 out into all the earth. Then he, that is the 00:15:59.750 --> 00:16:02.570 lamb, came, and he took the scroll out of the 00:16:02.570 --> 00:16:05.889 right hand of him who sat on the throne. All 00:16:05.889 --> 00:16:09.690 right. The elder just told John that this lion 00:16:09.690 --> 00:16:13.370 from Judah's tribe has prevailed. So John turns 00:16:13.370 --> 00:16:16.129 around and he's expecting to see a lion. But 00:16:16.129 --> 00:16:17.570 instead he turns around and what does he see? 00:16:17.590 --> 00:16:22.009 He sees a lamb. And it's a lamb that looks as 00:16:22.009 --> 00:16:26.009 though it's been slain, yet it's standing. So 00:16:26.009 --> 00:16:29.190 the Lord Jesus is both the lion from Judah's 00:16:29.190 --> 00:16:33.289 tribe and he's the slain yet living lamb. Now 00:16:33.289 --> 00:16:37.110 what's going on here? You see here a contrast. 00:16:37.529 --> 00:16:41.009 And it's really a contrast. Of Jesus' two advents. 00:16:41.049 --> 00:16:43.929 His first advent, first coming. Second advent, 00:16:44.110 --> 00:16:47.029 what he will fulfill when he comes again. As 00:16:47.029 --> 00:16:51.909 the lamb, Jesus was judged. As the lion, he will 00:16:51.909 --> 00:16:55.850 judge. As the lamb, he offered his body as a 00:16:55.850 --> 00:16:59.370 sacrifice. As the lion, he returns as the king. 00:17:00.090 --> 00:17:05.069 As the lamb, he came to serve. As the lion, he 00:17:05.069 --> 00:17:08.690 came to rule. He comes reigning. As the lamb, 00:17:08.789 --> 00:17:14.109 he comes meek and mild. As the lamb, he comes 00:17:14.109 --> 00:17:16.150 meek and mild. As the lion, he comes majestic. 00:17:17.369 --> 00:17:19.289 Both of these are talking about the advent of 00:17:19.289 --> 00:17:23.569 Christ. The lion at his second coming. And so 00:17:23.569 --> 00:17:26.450 the reference here, when we see, talking about 00:17:26.450 --> 00:17:29.730 a lion, John turns and sees a lamb, we can't 00:17:29.730 --> 00:17:32.029 help but think of John the Baptist's words when 00:17:32.029 --> 00:17:33.970 he first saw Jesus. Do you remember there in 00:17:33.970 --> 00:17:37.369 Matthew chapter 1, or John chapter 1? It says, 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:42.279 When John saw him, he said, behold, the Lamb 00:17:42.279 --> 00:17:46.000 of God, which takes away the sin of the world. 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:50.839 The Apostle John, seeing this Lamb is so very 00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:54.119 important because it reveals the work and ministry 00:17:54.119 --> 00:17:58.640 of Christ as our Redeemer. And it really answers 00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:01.819 the question that Isaac had for Abraham. Do you 00:18:01.819 --> 00:18:05.099 remember, Abraham is told to go and offer up 00:18:05.099 --> 00:18:08.049 his son Isaac. And on the way up there, Isaac 00:18:08.049 --> 00:18:10.730 asked this most important question in Genesis 00:18:10.730 --> 00:18:14.369 22. Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, and said, 00:18:14.390 --> 00:18:18.670 my father. And he said, here I am, my son. And 00:18:18.670 --> 00:18:21.609 Isaac's looking around. He says, hey, dad, look, 00:18:21.670 --> 00:18:26.829 you got fire and you got wood. But where is the 00:18:26.829 --> 00:18:31.210 lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham says these 00:18:31.210 --> 00:18:36.900 prophetic words. My son. God will provide, now 00:18:36.900 --> 00:18:39.180 we have for himself, but literally it says God 00:18:39.180 --> 00:18:43.880 will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering. 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:47.900 So the two of them went on together. And then 00:18:47.900 --> 00:18:50.059 John the Baptist, when he first sees Jesus, behold 00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:55.049 the lamb of God. Which takes away the sin of 00:18:55.049 --> 00:18:58.609 the world. Jesus is the answer to Isaac's question. 00:18:58.769 --> 00:19:02.609 My dad wears the lamb. Jesus is the lamb that 00:19:02.609 --> 00:19:06.230 God has provided. He is the lamb of God that 00:19:06.230 --> 00:19:09.809 takes away the sin of the world. Now notice where 00:19:09.809 --> 00:19:13.329 he is in the vision here. In the midst of the 00:19:13.329 --> 00:19:17.450 throne. He's in the center. The Lord Jesus Christ 00:19:17.450 --> 00:19:20.730 stands as a center and focus of heavenly worship. 00:19:21.740 --> 00:19:23.839 He's in the midst of the throne and he's surrounded 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:26.859 by four living creatures and the 24 elders, which 00:19:26.859 --> 00:19:29.200 represents God's people from both Old and New 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:31.119 Covenant. You have the 12 patriarchs and the 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:33.539 12 apostles combined together, the 24 elders. 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:36.180 I know I'm going fast, but that's a side note 00:19:36.180 --> 00:19:39.380 there. So what's the point? Jesus is in the midst. 00:19:40.839 --> 00:19:43.480 Jesus is the center of all that happens in heaven. 00:19:44.170 --> 00:19:46.410 And so what we understand is, friends, we do 00:19:46.410 --> 00:19:49.450 not worship a baby lying in a manger, but rather 00:19:49.450 --> 00:19:53.210 we worship the living, reigning Lamb of God ruling 00:19:53.210 --> 00:19:57.869 today from heaven. Now John gives this description, 00:19:58.150 --> 00:20:00.369 and if we're not careful, we'll focus too much 00:20:00.369 --> 00:20:03.009 on literal aspects of it. He said this lamb had 00:20:03.009 --> 00:20:07.009 seven horns. What does seven represent? Perfection 00:20:07.009 --> 00:20:11.089 or completion. So horns speak of power. So it 00:20:11.089 --> 00:20:14.950 speaks of perfect power. His omnipotence. The 00:20:14.950 --> 00:20:19.589 Lamb has seven eyes. Perfect sight. Perfect knowledge. 00:20:20.490 --> 00:20:23.990 Represents his omniscience. Seven spirits of 00:20:23.990 --> 00:20:27.130 God. This does not mean that there are literally 00:20:27.130 --> 00:20:31.150 seven separate spirits of God. This is a vision, 00:20:31.210 --> 00:20:34.170 folks. This points to the fullness of the Holy 00:20:34.170 --> 00:20:37.190 Spirit in his perfect power and perfect presence. 00:20:37.289 --> 00:20:40.450 So the seven spirits represents the Holy Spirit 00:20:40.450 --> 00:20:43.680 in his complete work. sent out into all the earth 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:47.779 shows his omnipresence. So we have his omnipotence, 00:20:47.779 --> 00:20:51.259 his omniscience, and his omnipresence. But there's 00:20:51.259 --> 00:20:55.299 a great paradox we see in verse 6. This lamb 00:20:55.299 --> 00:20:57.720 stood as a lamb as though it had been slain. 00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:02.799 It's slain, it's killed, yet here it is standing 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:06.220 alive in the midst of heaven. It's his resurrection. 00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:10.950 The cross. Looks like a glaring defeat, but because 00:21:10.950 --> 00:21:14.250 of Christ's resurrection, that seeming defeat 00:21:14.250 --> 00:21:16.970 has been turned into the world's greatest victory 00:21:16.970 --> 00:21:20.730 ever. And we start to sing about this. Look at 00:21:20.730 --> 00:21:25.849 verses 7 through 10. Then he, the Lamb, he came 00:21:25.849 --> 00:21:27.710 and took the scroll out of the right hand of 00:21:27.710 --> 00:21:30.130 him who sat on the throne. So Jesus takes the 00:21:30.130 --> 00:21:32.289 throne from the Father. Now when he had taken 00:21:32.289 --> 00:21:34.849 the scroll, The four living creatures and the 00:21:34.849 --> 00:21:38.269 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each having 00:21:38.269 --> 00:21:42.470 a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which 00:21:42.470 --> 00:21:44.630 are the prayers of the saints. And they sang 00:21:44.630 --> 00:21:48.849 a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the 00:21:48.849 --> 00:21:51.869 scroll and to open its seals. For you were slain, 00:21:51.869 --> 00:21:54.970 and you have redeemed us to God by your blood 00:21:54.970 --> 00:21:58.130 out of every tribe and tongue and people and 00:21:58.130 --> 00:22:01.130 nation. And you have made us kings and priests 00:22:01.130 --> 00:22:04.099 to our God. And we shall reign on the earth. 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:07.839 When the Lamb came and took that scroll from 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:11.519 God the Father's hand, the weeping ended and 00:22:11.519 --> 00:22:16.200 the worshiping began. Now, I hesitate putting 00:22:16.200 --> 00:22:19.900 this in here. What we see in Revelation when 00:22:19.900 --> 00:22:22.079 Jesus takes a scroll from God the Father's hand 00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:25.460 is the fulfillment of Daniel's vision of Daniel 00:22:25.460 --> 00:22:28.299 7. Quickly, and I won't spend a lot of time on 00:22:28.299 --> 00:22:32.380 this. Daniel writes this, another vision. I was 00:22:32.380 --> 00:22:34.859 watching in the night visions, and behold, one 00:22:34.859 --> 00:22:37.720 like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of 00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:41.519 heaven, he came to the Ancient of Days, and they 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:44.380 brought him near before him. Then to him, that's 00:22:44.380 --> 00:22:48.299 that Son of Man, was given dominion and glory 00:22:48.299 --> 00:22:51.640 and a kingdom, that all peoples and nations and 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:54.359 languages should serve him. His dominion is an 00:22:54.359 --> 00:22:57.099 everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, 00:22:57.359 --> 00:23:01.099 and his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:05.640 We see this taking place in Revelation 5. So 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:08.200 earlier, John's weeping. No one's found worthy. 00:23:08.900 --> 00:23:11.279 Suddenly, you have a land slain approaching the 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:13.400 throne, and he does take that scroll from the 00:23:13.400 --> 00:23:15.579 Father's hand. And we understand that the Lord 00:23:15.579 --> 00:23:19.000 Jesus is the one who's uniquely qualified, uniquely 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:23.279 worthy to receive authority over all creation 00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:29.779 and to fulfill God's plan for history. So when 00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:33.890 Christ takes the scroll, all heaven begins to 00:23:33.890 --> 00:23:37.190 fall down and worship before him. Verse 8. The 00:23:37.190 --> 00:23:39.390 four living creatures and 24 elders fell down 00:23:39.390 --> 00:23:41.589 and they had harps and they had bowls full of 00:23:41.589 --> 00:23:45.789 incense. Notice what's happening. All heaven 00:23:45.789 --> 00:23:50.509 is joining in in worshiping the Lamb which is 00:23:50.509 --> 00:23:54.569 an affirmation of Christ's deity. Why? Because 00:23:54.569 --> 00:23:57.490 we're told God shares his glory with no one and 00:23:57.490 --> 00:23:59.529 the very fact that they are worshiping Christ 00:23:59.529 --> 00:24:02.420 in the presence of God reveals that Christ is 00:24:02.420 --> 00:24:06.519 God. The living creatures and the elders, they 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:08.119 have a harp. That's an instrument of praise. 00:24:08.500 --> 00:24:11.019 They have a golden bowl full of incense, which 00:24:11.019 --> 00:24:14.240 represents prayers. See, praise and prayers are 00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:18.240 directed to Christ. By the way, just a side note 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:20.799 here. It is noteworthy. Our prayers are part 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.779 of God's plan. We may not understand how it works, 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:26.279 but it does mean something. And they begin to 00:24:26.279 --> 00:24:29.119 sing. Verse 9. What kind of song are they singing 00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:31.519 in heaven? The very first thing we're told is 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:34.680 that it is a new song. What do you mean a new 00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:37.200 song? It's about the new covenant and the redemption 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:40.579 that Christ has accomplished. It's a worship 00:24:40.579 --> 00:24:46.059 song. Thou art worthy. By the way, where do we 00:24:46.059 --> 00:24:48.779 get the word worship? It comes from an old English 00:24:48.779 --> 00:24:53.500 word, worth -ship. It's a gospel song. It's about 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:56.819 the good news. For you were slain and you have 00:24:56.819 --> 00:25:01.039 redeemed us to God by your blood. That word slain 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:03.980 is very graphic. It's a word sfatso in Greek 00:25:03.980 --> 00:25:06.099 and it literally means slaughtered or butchered. 00:25:07.380 --> 00:25:10.839 Christ was butchered. He was slaughtered. That's 00:25:10.839 --> 00:25:13.680 what it refers to, a slaughtered animal. All 00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:16.299 of heaven is singing about the cross of Christ 00:25:16.299 --> 00:25:19.160 and the blood of Christ that purchased our redemption. 00:25:20.420 --> 00:25:23.089 Now I want to ask the church something. If this 00:25:23.089 --> 00:25:24.630 is what heaven is singing about, what should 00:25:24.630 --> 00:25:27.750 the church on earth be singing about? About the 00:25:27.750 --> 00:25:30.470 blood of Christ, about his cross. We should be 00:25:30.470 --> 00:25:33.250 making much of him. That's why we gather to worship, 00:25:33.369 --> 00:25:37.410 to make much of Jesus. It's a missionary song. 00:25:38.309 --> 00:25:40.829 For you were slain and you have redeemed us to 00:25:40.829 --> 00:25:43.230 God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue 00:25:43.230 --> 00:25:46.190 and people and nation. Revelation is full of 00:25:46.190 --> 00:25:48.509 symbols. Seven represents completion. But we 00:25:48.509 --> 00:25:51.519 have here, you have the number four. Four often 00:25:51.519 --> 00:25:54.019 represents the whole earth. You have the four 00:25:54.019 --> 00:25:56.039 corners of the earth, the four winds of heaven, 00:25:56.160 --> 00:26:00.039 and here we have four terms. Every tribe, tongue, 00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:05.160 people, and nation. What's the point? We are 00:26:05.160 --> 00:26:07.660 seeing here that Jesus has ransomed people from 00:26:07.660 --> 00:26:12.279 all across the globe. The goal of missions... 00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:15.980 is that people from all nations, all languages, 00:26:16.279 --> 00:26:19.720 all ethnic backgrounds will one day be gathered 00:26:19.720 --> 00:26:23.759 around the throne of God singing praises to Christ 00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:28.299 for having ransomed them. By the way, this is 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:32.480 why we give to missions. And this is why we go 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:35.960 as missionaries to make Revelation chapter 5 00:26:35.960 --> 00:26:39.339 a reality. See, the gospel is to be preached 00:26:39.339 --> 00:26:41.920 to all people. What did Jesus say? We are to 00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:45.380 make disciples of all nations. It is universal 00:26:45.380 --> 00:26:48.559 in scope, fulfilling the promise that was God 00:26:48.559 --> 00:26:50.460 made to Abraham. Do you remember that promise 00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:53.200 that God made to Abraham? Hey, Abraham, in your 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:55.299 seed shall all families of the earth be blessed. 00:26:56.039 --> 00:26:59.039 All families of the earth, here it is. It's universal. 00:26:59.099 --> 00:27:01.559 All languages and ethnic groups and tribes and 00:27:01.559 --> 00:27:04.140 nations are present there at the throne of God. 00:27:05.420 --> 00:27:08.910 It's a praise song. He made us kings and priests, 00:27:08.930 --> 00:27:12.009 our God, and we shall reign on the earth. Do 00:27:12.009 --> 00:27:14.769 you understand what this is saying? In the kingdom 00:27:14.769 --> 00:27:17.589 of God, believers will be restored to God's original 00:27:17.589 --> 00:27:20.730 intention that mankind will be his royal representatives. 00:27:21.170 --> 00:27:24.329 Adam failed, but we won't fail anymore. Christ 00:27:24.329 --> 00:27:28.509 is the true king and we will reign with him in 00:27:28.509 --> 00:27:31.869 the renewed creation. Notice where we will reign. 00:27:32.789 --> 00:27:36.869 It says on the earth. In the new heavens. And 00:27:36.869 --> 00:27:39.789 the new earth. Our future existence, church, 00:27:39.950 --> 00:27:44.130 is not in some ethereal heavenly existence floating 00:27:44.130 --> 00:27:47.490 around on a cloud, but rather reigning with Christ 00:27:47.490 --> 00:27:51.430 on the earth in new glorified bodies. That's 00:27:51.430 --> 00:27:54.470 what we have to look forward to. Verses 11 and 00:27:54.470 --> 00:27:57.849 12. Then I looked and I heard the voice of many 00:27:57.849 --> 00:28:01.269 angels around the throne. The living creatures 00:28:01.269 --> 00:28:03.819 and the elders. And the number of them was 10 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:06.019 ,000 times 10 ,000 and thousands of thousands. 00:28:06.299 --> 00:28:09.220 John's at a loss for words, folks. And he said 00:28:09.220 --> 00:28:14.019 with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was 00:28:14.019 --> 00:28:16.859 slain to receive power and riches and wisdom 00:28:16.859 --> 00:28:18.660 and strength and honor and glory and blessing. 00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:23.319 Innumerable heavenly multitude begins to sing 00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:26.319 praises to Christ. You have angels and creatures 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:29.259 and elders, all of them, 10 ,000 times 10 ,000. 00:28:29.339 --> 00:28:31.119 In the Greek, they don't have a word for that. 00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:34.140 So this just means innumerable. John doesn't 00:28:34.140 --> 00:28:36.980 have a word for it. The heavenly host here is 00:28:36.980 --> 00:28:41.200 praising Christ. Why? Because he was slain. His 00:28:41.200 --> 00:28:45.460 work of redemption. Worthy. Worthy is the lamb 00:28:45.460 --> 00:28:49.460 who was slain. He's getting the honor. He's getting 00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:51.880 the recognition that he never received here on 00:28:51.880 --> 00:28:54.759 the earth. Heaven sees him for who he is. In 00:28:54.759 --> 00:28:58.299 fact, there's a seven -fold doxology. Seven adjectives 00:28:58.299 --> 00:29:00.500 used. And again, seven, the number of completion. 00:29:00.859 --> 00:29:03.480 John uses seven adjectives for praising him. 00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:07.599 He is worthy to receive power, it says. On the 00:29:07.599 --> 00:29:09.920 earth, he was born in weakness. He died in weakness, 00:29:10.059 --> 00:29:13.460 but he was raised in power. On the earth, it 00:29:13.460 --> 00:29:16.019 says, or he's worthy to receive riches. On the 00:29:16.019 --> 00:29:20.019 earth, he was born into poverty. But now he possesses 00:29:20.019 --> 00:29:24.650 the riches of heaven and earth. Wisdom. Do you 00:29:24.650 --> 00:29:26.230 remember as the Lord Jesus walked this earth, 00:29:26.289 --> 00:29:29.250 men derided him? They called him a lunatic, said 00:29:29.250 --> 00:29:32.529 he was out of his mind. And now he's shown to 00:29:32.529 --> 00:29:35.589 be the wisdom of God. Worthy to receive strength. 00:29:37.269 --> 00:29:40.329 Jesus Christ shared in our weakness of humanity. 00:29:41.529 --> 00:29:43.970 God became tired and hungry and thirsty, the 00:29:43.970 --> 00:29:47.269 God -man, I should say. But now he possesses 00:29:47.269 --> 00:29:51.970 all strength. Honor. I love this. On earth he 00:29:51.970 --> 00:29:54.809 was defamed. He was called a fraud, a deceiver. 00:29:55.650 --> 00:29:58.250 Yet in heaven he is given the highest honor by 00:29:58.250 --> 00:30:02.470 having the name that is above every name. He 00:30:02.470 --> 00:30:05.349 receives glory. Again, on the earth they called 00:30:05.349 --> 00:30:09.569 him a fool, a liar, a troublemaker, a son of 00:30:09.569 --> 00:30:12.029 Belial. They said he was a glutton. They called 00:30:12.029 --> 00:30:17.309 him a wine -bibber. But one day... Every knee 00:30:17.309 --> 00:30:20.230 is going to bow and every tongue is going to 00:30:20.230 --> 00:30:23.849 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord giving him 00:30:23.849 --> 00:30:27.849 glory. He's the true king, but on the earth they 00:30:27.849 --> 00:30:29.690 mocked his kingship, right? They put a crown 00:30:29.690 --> 00:30:33.130 of thorns on him and a mock robe and a fake scepter. 00:30:34.410 --> 00:30:36.650 But now in heaven he receives all the glory. 00:30:38.349 --> 00:30:41.109 And I think about those Roman soldiers who fake 00:30:41.109 --> 00:30:45.019 bowed before him. They will see him one day ruling 00:30:45.019 --> 00:30:47.420 and seated on his true throne as the king of 00:30:47.420 --> 00:30:50.720 the universe. And he's worthy to receive blessing, 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:54.880 reverent adoration. The one who became a curse 00:30:54.880 --> 00:30:58.119 for us now receives the highest praise. And this 00:30:58.119 --> 00:31:00.420 worship comes to a crescendo in verses 13 and 00:31:00.420 --> 00:31:04.059 14. And every creature which is in heaven and 00:31:04.059 --> 00:31:06.339 on the earth and under the earth and such as 00:31:06.339 --> 00:31:08.720 in the sea and all that are in them, I heard 00:31:08.720 --> 00:31:11.849 saying, I mean, this is everyone. John, really, 00:31:11.930 --> 00:31:15.170 he's stretching the human vocabulary here. Blessing 00:31:15.170 --> 00:31:17.509 and honor and glory and power be to him who sits 00:31:17.509 --> 00:31:22.950 on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. 00:31:23.650 --> 00:31:25.930 And then the four living creatures said, Amen. 00:31:26.309 --> 00:31:28.349 And the four and twenty elders fell down and 00:31:28.349 --> 00:31:33.430 worshipped him who lives forever and ever. All 00:31:33.430 --> 00:31:36.289 creation joining in praise. There's universal 00:31:36.289 --> 00:31:38.940 worship. It says every creature in heaven, on 00:31:38.940 --> 00:31:41.160 earth, under the earth, under the sea, in the 00:31:41.160 --> 00:31:47.119 sea, I mean, you name it. All voices join the 00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:51.180 voice of heaven in this heavenly course, praising 00:31:51.180 --> 00:31:53.000 the one who sits on the throne, that's God the 00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:57.880 Father, and the Lamb. Christ receives the same 00:31:57.880 --> 00:32:00.960 honor and worship as the Father who is seated 00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:03.740 on the throne. Do you know what that means? Once 00:32:03.740 --> 00:32:06.640 more, this is a very clear picture that Jesus 00:32:06.640 --> 00:32:10.319 Christ is God. He shares in the worship given 00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:15.420 to the Father. And the four creatures, they give 00:32:15.420 --> 00:32:17.839 a final seal of agreement and they cry out, Amen. 00:32:19.200 --> 00:32:22.579 And as they do, those 24 elders representing 00:32:22.579 --> 00:32:26.140 all the people of God, they fall down and worship 00:32:26.140 --> 00:32:30.720 our Lord. There's only one response to the worthy 00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:34.960 lamb. Who has redeemed us by his blood. And if 00:32:34.960 --> 00:32:37.880 you know him at all today church. The one response 00:32:37.880 --> 00:32:43.119 is to fall down before him in worship. The vision 00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:45.380 closes with the united eternal worship of Christ. 00:32:46.279 --> 00:32:49.779 Redeemer and Lord. What's the point of history? 00:32:51.759 --> 00:32:54.680 Is it just abstract and there's really no point? 00:32:54.740 --> 00:32:58.039 It's pointless? As the nihilists say. Postmodern 00:32:58.039 --> 00:33:02.289 say. No. This is the point of history. It's going 00:33:02.289 --> 00:33:05.849 somewhere. It's linear. All creation, all creation 00:33:05.849 --> 00:33:09.369 will one day honor the son, Jesus Christ, the 00:33:09.369 --> 00:33:13.089 son of the living God as Lord of all. That's 00:33:13.089 --> 00:33:16.549 the point of history. And right now you're invited 00:33:16.549 --> 00:33:20.269 to bow your knee and confess him as Lord. See, 00:33:20.349 --> 00:33:22.269 what's the point of missions? What's the goal 00:33:22.269 --> 00:33:23.990 of missions? I would say it's the same point 00:33:23.990 --> 00:33:26.329 of history. It's the goal of history. It's that 00:33:26.329 --> 00:33:31.140 Jesus, the slain yet risen lamb, is worthy. And 00:33:31.140 --> 00:33:34.079 we recognize that worth now. That's what we do. 00:33:36.140 --> 00:33:41.180 Now what? As we close. Now what? What do we do 00:33:41.180 --> 00:33:44.720 in light of this? If Revelation 5 teaches us 00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:47.940 anything, it teaches us this. That only Jesus 00:33:47.940 --> 00:33:53.619 Christ is worthy of our trust. No leader, Republican 00:33:53.619 --> 00:33:57.200 or Democrat, monarch or anyone else. No government. 00:33:57.930 --> 00:34:00.069 No political system should have our ultimate 00:34:00.069 --> 00:34:03.230 trust. Be involved, seek the welfare of where 00:34:03.230 --> 00:34:05.750 you live, great. Ultimate trust goes to Christ 00:34:05.750 --> 00:34:08.909 only. See, where does our faith rest? Our faith 00:34:08.909 --> 00:34:12.489 rests in Christ, the risen, the slain, yet risen 00:34:12.489 --> 00:34:15.349 lamb. Secondly, though, and I said this earlier, 00:34:15.429 --> 00:34:18.210 but I want to emphasize it again. Church, your 00:34:18.210 --> 00:34:22.010 prayers matter. The saints had golden bowls filled 00:34:22.010 --> 00:34:24.570 with incense representing prayer. So what does 00:34:24.570 --> 00:34:28.920 that mean? You and I need to pray boldly because 00:34:28.920 --> 00:34:32.599 God uses our prayers to unfold and further his 00:34:32.599 --> 00:34:36.219 purpose. I don't know how that works, but I believe 00:34:36.219 --> 00:34:39.719 it by faith. Additionally, let me just say this. 00:34:39.780 --> 00:34:43.880 There is hope in the midst of chaos. The lamb 00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:47.280 has prevailed and he is in control of history's 00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:51.579 outcome. It's not meaningless, but he's not only 00:34:51.579 --> 00:34:54.889 in control of history's outcome. He's also in 00:34:54.889 --> 00:34:58.650 control of your life's outcome. Yeah, he has 00:34:58.650 --> 00:35:02.050 the scroll of the earth. But Jesus Christ also 00:35:02.050 --> 00:35:06.130 has the scroll of your life. Your life is in 00:35:06.130 --> 00:35:11.730 his hands. Your job is to trust him. And lastly, 00:35:11.789 --> 00:35:13.849 as we close out this missions emphasis month, 00:35:14.010 --> 00:35:18.909 the gospel, that good news, it's for all people. 00:35:19.570 --> 00:35:23.250 Every tribe, every language group. Every ethnos, 00:35:23.289 --> 00:35:26.929 meaning every ethnic group. All people. Friends, 00:35:26.969 --> 00:35:30.309 our mission is global. Because the Lamb of God 00:35:30.309 --> 00:35:33.469 and his sacrifice has redeemed for God people 00:35:33.469 --> 00:35:37.250 from all places. And we need to support that 00:35:37.250 --> 00:35:41.750 mission to take the gospel to those places. We 00:35:41.750 --> 00:35:44.230 are diverse as a people, right? We've got the 00:35:44.230 --> 00:35:46.309 Philippines. We've got Mexico. We've got Americans. 00:35:46.389 --> 00:35:47.949 I'm sure there's some other ethnicities in here. 00:35:49.250 --> 00:35:53.139 We're diverse as a people. But we're united as 00:35:53.139 --> 00:35:57.599 one body. We are the people of God. We're not 00:35:57.599 --> 00:36:00.579 divided along socioeconomic labels in the kingdom 00:36:00.579 --> 00:36:03.800 of God. We are the redeemed children of God, 00:36:03.920 --> 00:36:06.179 the body of Christ, and that's what this table 00:36:06.179 --> 00:36:10.719 represents. The many... Become one. Brothers 00:36:10.719 --> 00:36:12.800 and sisters, all these people, all these flags. 00:36:13.000 --> 00:36:15.000 So my challenge for Mamre, if you're joining 00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:17.179 us today, this is my challenge for Mamre, is 00:36:17.179 --> 00:36:19.579 that you would participate. 100 % of our church, 00:36:19.719 --> 00:36:21.920 100 % of families would be involved some way 00:36:21.920 --> 00:36:24.940 in missions, giving and praying. You pray about 00:36:24.940 --> 00:36:26.860 whatever amount, I will never seek you out, but 00:36:26.860 --> 00:36:29.159 I pray that, Lord, you have a heart to take the 00:36:29.159 --> 00:36:32.019 gospel to the nations so that Revelation 5, you 00:36:32.019 --> 00:36:34.460 have your hand in that. All nations gather around 00:36:34.460 --> 00:36:37.019 that throne singing praises to the worthy lamb. 00:36:37.880 --> 00:36:43.260 This is why we give. This is why we go. This 00:36:43.260 --> 00:36:45.159 is why Ralph and Tim, I think Wes, are right 00:36:45.159 --> 00:36:48.639 now in Peru, South America, in some tribal jungle, 00:36:48.900 --> 00:36:52.960 telling others about Jesus Christ. Let's close 00:36:52.960 --> 00:37:00.440 in prayer. Father, I thank you for your word, 00:37:00.500 --> 00:37:03.820 Lord God. How can we add anything to it? Jesus 00:37:03.820 --> 00:37:06.260 is worthy. The Lamb is worthy, Lord. I want to 00:37:06.260 --> 00:37:08.179 sing it. I want to shout it. I want that to be 00:37:08.179 --> 00:37:10.400 maintained and manifest in my life. That there 00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:12.639 is a worthy one and his name is Jesus, Lord. 00:37:12.960 --> 00:37:15.559 That there is hope in chaos, Lord. That it's 00:37:15.559 --> 00:37:18.900 not random. It's not accidental. Our lives have 00:37:18.900 --> 00:37:21.400 meaning. And Father, I pray for those gathered 00:37:21.400 --> 00:37:24.039 here today, Lord. There may be some, no doubt, 00:37:24.099 --> 00:37:26.400 there probably are some who don't know your Son. 00:37:27.280 --> 00:37:30.440 They've never bowed the knee. They've never confessed 00:37:30.440 --> 00:37:33.250 him as Lord. They've never seen him as glorious. 00:37:33.309 --> 00:37:35.489 And I pray that today, God, open their eyes. 00:37:35.789 --> 00:37:38.489 Give them a heart to believe. Lord, give them 00:37:38.489 --> 00:37:40.730 a heart that would willingly confess Christ as 00:37:40.730 --> 00:37:44.170 Lord and Savior. And Father, for your church, 00:37:44.250 --> 00:37:47.590 God, help us to see why we do what we do, that 00:37:47.590 --> 00:37:49.849 we live for the glory of Christ and the kingdom 00:37:49.849 --> 00:37:52.929 of God, seeking him and it first. Oh, God, forgive 00:37:52.929 --> 00:37:55.949 us, Lord. Prepare us, Lord, as we come to the 00:37:55.949 --> 00:38:00.659 table of the Lord. Lord, soften our hearts. God, 00:38:00.699 --> 00:38:02.880 prepare us to be the people of God. Make us what 00:38:02.880 --> 00:38:05.000 you want us to be. We pray this in Jesus' strong 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:09.380 name. Amen. Deacons, if you would come and prepare 00:38:09.380 --> 00:38:09.880 the table.