The Lion Who Is A Lamb: A Good Friday Sermon

Revelation 5

INTRO: Chapters 4 and 5 of the book of Revelation must be taken together. They comprise one vision which was granted to the Apostle John. One in this series of visions concerning things which, from the perspective of John and his time, we are told, must soon take place.

He has just finished recounting the messages he had received and which he was to pass on to specific churches, and then, in the providence and inspiration of God, to us in this book. And these letters are filled with both commendation and condemnation. There is both warning of tribulation and the promise of divine protection.

It is both of these things, tribulation and divine protection which will appear as primary themes throughout this Revelation.

As William Hendriksen says,

“Whenever in history the church is faithful to its calling and bears testimony concerning the truth, tribulation is bound to follow. Aside even from this fact, the church is in the worlde. Hence, it suffers along with the world. Children of God do not escape the horrors of war, famine, and pestilence. The church needs these tribulations. It needs both the direct antagonism of the world and participation in the common woes that pertain to this earthly life as a result of sin. The church, too, is sinful. It is in constant need of purification and sanctification. These tribulations, therefore, are employed by our Lord as an instrument for our own spiritual advancement…Chapters 4 and 5 teach us that our affairs lie not in the hands of men, but of God! Hence, when the world is enkindling the flames of hatred and slaughter and when the earth is drenched with blood, may our tear-dimmed eye catch a vision of The Throne which rules the universe. In the midst of trial and tribulation may our gaze be riveted upon the One who is King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Hendricksen is no doubt correct in his assessment of these chapters.

Tonight, I want to take you, by way of the Scripture, before the Throne of God. I want you to see His glory, and His majesty. I want you to see His holiness. But most of all, tonight, I want you to see the one who is spoken of in Chapter 5 as being, above all else, Worthy.

As we examine this chapter this evening, I want you to keep its purpose in your mind. In spite of what has been said about the current situation of the churches, and in spite of what is about to be revealed concerning the trials and tribulations which will attend the church until the Lord’s coming, we are to always be conscious of the fact that all things are governed by the occupant of the heavenly throne.

I would love to dwell for hours in these chapters with you, but our focus tonight must be more limited. And we shall limit that focus to the One Who is Worthy.

Chapter 5 opens with One sitting on a throne. We know from chapter 4, of course , that this is God Himself. There are these creatures around His throne and their description is strange to our ears, but as we read about them we realize that we have met with them before. They are, we are told, around the throne of God, and they have a proclamation as they surround the throne of God and this proclamation never ceases. It is this,

“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come.”

And immediately, our minds are taken back to another vision of the throne of God which took place centuries before this vision of John’s. We remember that there was a time when a prophet named Isaiah found himself gazing upon the throne of God and there were seraphim around the throne and they were making a proclamation, as well.

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.”

And so we find that these creatures, strange as they may be to our eyes and ears and none other than the seraphim of God.

And there are others who are there around the throne, as well. There are twenty-four elders who fall down before Him and worship Him, saying,

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor, and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

And these 24 elders, I take to be other angelic beings, for when these elders in 5:9 and 10 speak of those who have been redeemed, they do not speak of “us”, but rather of “them”.

“You have made ‘them’ to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and ‘they’ will reign upon the earth.”

But however you may understand the details of the vision, the point is that God is not only a holy, eternal, powerful and glorious God, but He is a God who sits upon a throne, and so He is a Sovereign God, as well.

And this sovereign God is sitting on His throne and in his hand is what our translations call a book, but in actuality it is a scroll, and this scroll, as was the common practice of the first century when you were seeking to communicate privately, is sealed, and that seal is to be broken only by the one for whom it was intended. But this is not a scroll with a single seal. Rather this scroll has upon it seven seals. And immediately we know two things. There is something extremely important about this scroll, and we know, also, that not just anyone can open it.

What is so important about this scroll? We find as we continue to read into chapters 6 and beyond that what is contained in the scroll is the revelation of God’s entire purpose and plan…His all comprehensive decree. But wait. The scroll, as we have noted, is not yet opened. It contains God’s plan, but it has not, as of that time, been revealed. Nor has it been execute. And as we will also see in the following chapters, not only does this scroll reveal God’s plan, but the opening of the seals also sets that plan into action.

But as we have said, there is another significant truth concerning this scroll, that that is, that not just anyone can open it. And we find that this is precisely the problem. For John sees and hears an angel, described as a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?”

That’s what John wanted to know? Who was there, that was worthy? The question is asked, and at first, no one comes forth. Not one in all of heaven and earth, not one in all of the universe was able to open the book or look into it. For a moment, no one was found who was worthy. And John, knowing what was contained within the scroll is so overwhelmed with, he is so distraught at the thought that the decree of God would not come to pass for want of one who was worthy to open the scroll, begins to weep, and to weep greatly.

But one of the elders, one of the 24 who fall down before the throne of God, sees the weeping of the apostle, and speaks to him,

“Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

So there is One who is worthy. And the One who is worthy is a Lion. Strong and courageous and bold. He is not just any lion. He is a specific lion. He is “THE” lion. And He is “THE” lion “from the tribe of Judah”. And he is “THE” lion “from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.” More than that, He is a lion who has overcome, or literally, who has “conquered”. And now we begin to understand. Somehow, the fact that this lion has conquered makes Him worthy to open the scroll.

There is One who is worthy. There is a lion who is worthy. He has conquered something or someone and that victory which He has accomplished is what makes Him worthy to come and open the scroll.

But what victory? In what way has this lion conquered? We need not wait very long to find out. For as we continue to read, we find out more about this lion, and what we find is strange indeed. For although the elder has described this One as a lion, John looks between the throne and the elders and what does he see? Not a lion, but a lamb. And not only a lamb, but a lamb standing, as if slain. And not only a lamb standing as if slain, but a lamb standing as if slain with seven horns, perfect power, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth, perfect knowledge and universal authority.

And this Lion who is also a Lamb comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And as He does, all those who had been worshipping before the throne of God, the elders and the four living creatures, they now fall down before this Lamb, and they begin to worship Him.

But how can this be? We have been brought into the very throne room of God. We have seen God worshipped and adored. And now, the very ones who were worshipping God have fallen down before this Lamb and are worshipping Him! How can this be? Has not God said that only He is to be worshipped? Has not God said that He will not share His glory with another? There can be only one explanation for this. We can reach only one conclusion. This Lamb, this worthy One, is also, along with the One who sits on the throne, none other than God Himself, and as such worthy of worship and worthy to be adored, and worthy to receive the prayers of His people.

And He is worthy to receive a new song. A song that heretofore was not able to be sung. But now, because of the victory that He has obtained, because of the great and glorious deliverance which He has accomplished, a new song can be sung.

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

At last. This is why He is worthy. He is worthy to take the book and to break its seals precisely because He was slain.

How can this One be both a conquering Lion and a slain Lamb? The answer is because it was in being slain that He conquered. And what did He conquer? He conquered sin. He conquered death. He conquered Satan.

This conquering Lion and this slain Lamb are one and the same. And in that conquering death so much was accomplished. Only two aspects of that accomplishment are focused on here in the passage before us, but it is enough for tonight. In that conquering death, this One person, at once both Lion and Lamb, with the price of His blood, first purchased for God men from every tongue and people and nation and second He made them to be a kingdom and priests to God.

In other words, by His death, this Lion who is also a Lamb bought a people and transformed a people.

Look at what the text says about this.

First, He bought a people. It seems simple enough, but when you begin to consider this all kinds of questions arise.

Who did He purchase? A people. Note, that He did not purchase every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Rather, He purchased men from, or, men out of, every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And so He did not purchase every individual, although the purchase price certainly would have been sufficient had He chosen to do so. But neither was He miserly in what He did purchase. There was nothing narrow or nationalistic about this purchase. It is world-wide in scope. It embraces every group into which one might think to divide men. He purchased a people. A new people, if you will. A people that did not exist before. A people who’s first characteristic is no longer their earthly identification, but the fact that they are now among the redeemed.

Why would He want to buy them in the first place? 1 Cor. 6:20… “You were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.”

Why would they need to be bought? Titus 2:14… This very same One, we are told, “…gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify Himself a people for His own possession…”

Who did He purchase them for? For God.

What was the purchase price? His own blood. His own life. Now, note this and note it well. You do not purchase something with that which is taken from you. When you are forced to give something in exchange for something else, that is not a purchase, that’s called extortion. When this lamb was slain, His blood was shed as a purchase price, not as a payoff. He was not forced. He was not pressured. He gave Himself. You see, this same lamb is spoken of elsewhere in Scripture not as a lamb, but as a shepherd. And this same one made it clear that as a good shepherd, He gives His life for the sheep. It is not taken from Him. Every one who is counted among those who belong to God are so only because they were purchased for Him. They did not bribe anyone. They did not pay anyone off. They did not work for it. They did not earn it. They were purchased. And that is and ever has been the only way in which someone becomes a possession of God.

But as we said, this Lamb not only bought a people, but He transformed a people. He “made them” we read, “to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

Now, don’t miss this, because little things are easy to overlook, though they be important. The Lamb “made them” to be a kingdom and priests”. Past tense. Those who have been purchased by the Lamb for God have, at the time of John’s vision, already been made a kingdom and priests, or, it might also be said, a kingdom of priests.

It is interesting that the phrase kingdom of priests is used elsewhere in the Scripture. And it is used, interestingly enough, in this other place, in the future tense. And that is found in Exodus 19:6, in which God speaks to Israel and says to them, “…you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…”

It was a future promise in Exodus, but by the time John receives His vision, it is a past accomplishment. It is already a reality. And what has happened to account for the change? The Lamb has been slain.

And it is upon this proclamation of the worthiness of the Lamb on account of His sacrificial death to purchase and transform a people for God, that the angelic throngs can hold back no longer, and myriads upon myriads of angels join in with the elders and with the four living creatures, calling out with a loud voice saying,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

If you’ve been with us on Tuesday mornings, perhaps you’re seeing something here in this verse already…in this verse, how many things does the Lamb receive on account of His being slain? Power; riches; wisdom; might; honor; glory; and blessing. Seven. That’s not a coincidence. Seven excellencies representing all the majesty in heaven and on earth. It all belongs to the Lamb, because He was slain.

Finally, this Lamb is worthy of so much honor, and so much praise, and so much glory, that not even the angelic hosts are enough to proclaim it. Now, in v. 13 they are joined by every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea and all things in them. And together, the universe raises its voice in praise to God and to the Lamb who was slain, saying,

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshipped.”

But we have yet to identify the Lamb. I know that for most of you, there is no need. You recognize Him immediately, because you recognize Him as the One who was slain for you. You recognize Him as the One who has purchased you.

But perhaps you do not yet know this Lion who is a Lamb? Let me introduce you to Him. His name is Jesus. And we have gathered together here on this night, to remember the death that He died on behalf of all those who would repent of their sin and place their faith and trust in Him. He is called here, the Lamb, because He is the fulfillment of all those literal lambs that were offered up as sacrifices for the sins of Israel. You see, those sacrifices didn’t really take away sin. They were never intended to. They were intended to point to the final, true sacrifice that would indeed pay for sin. The final, true sacrifice that would purchase for God a people from every tongue and tribe and nation.

Hebrews 10:1-4; 11-14

"For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. ² Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? ³ But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. ⁴ For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins....Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; ¹² but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, ¹³ waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. ¹⁴ For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified."

What of you? Are you one who is being perfected by His offering? Are you one who has been purchased for God by His blood? Will you one day join with all those who have been redeemed from every tongue and people and nation as they bow down and worship before His throne?

There is only one who is both a Lion and a Lamb. There is only one whose death can redeem. And there is only one way that His redeeming blood can be applied to those who have need of it. The Scripture commands all men everywhere to repent and believe upon that One. That is, to turn from sin, and trust in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ...the Lamb that was slain...the Lord of glory...for the forgiveness of sin. His promise is that all those who come to Him will be received, and no one who comes to Him in simple faith and trust will ever be cast out.

Will you come?

The Donkey

Here's a little reminder that there is no one who cannot be used as an instrument in the hand of God...courtesy of G. K. Chesterton and dusted off just in time for Palm Sunday.

The Donkey

When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil's walking parody
On all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.

Fools! for I also had my hour;
One fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.

More on God Speaking

John Piper on his own experience of the voice of God.

Make sure you read the entire piece or you'll miss his point.

Prayer Doesn't Change Things, and God is Not Talking to You

Over on the site of the "most famous Christian blogger in the world", as he has rightfully been called, Tim Challies once again provides a very helpful and stimulating book review. This particular review is in regard to a new book on prayer entitled, "Prayer and the Voice of God", by Philip Jensen and Tom Payne.

In the course of his review, Tim says this: "...these authors believe, as do I, that we do not listen to God's voice in prayer, but listen to God's voice in Scripture so we might learn about prayer..." to which I verbally shout, "Amen!"

If one wants to find a barometer which will enable us to understand just how far the church has fallen from its confidence in the sufficiency of Scripture, one could find it in the average Christian's understanding of prayer. When did prayer become a two-way conversation? Certainly it is not presented that way in the Scriptures. When we speak to God, that is prayer. When God speaks to us, that is revelation. It is prophecy. It is Scripture.

Then again, the common understanding of prayer has been twisted in all kinds of ways. It is thought to be some kind of mantra with a power inherent in the words themselves. After all, "Prayer changes things." Funny. I thought it was the One to whom we pray that changes things.

Of course, in the minds of many, the "thing" that prayer changes is God Himself. The average Christian, not having thought through a theology of prayer, nor its implications, thinks that the purpose of prayer is to get God to do that which He wouldn't have done otherwise. Apparently, God is often very short-sighted. His plans often uninformed. This must be the case because according to many Christians, God was going to do one thing, but then they pray, and through their prayers God is persuaded to do something else. Clearly their arguments are so convincing that God is forced to reconsider that which He had been planning. "You know, I was going to do this, but then Susie prayed, and, well, she raised some really good points, so now I think I'll follow her advice."

I know, I know. I'm swimming upstream here. The church has been overrun with those who claim the authority of experience over the authority of Scripture. Even so, perhaps someone, somewhere, will be moved to go back to God's revelation and seek to understand what God has revealed about prayer rather than seeking revelation in prayer.

Atheism Debate

If anyone is interested, the video of a debate between Alister McGrath and Peter Atkins can be viewed at the link above. The question at issue is: "Should We Rid the Mind of God?"

I take no responsibility for the unfortunate clothing choice of the young lady who introduces Dr. McGrath. (You'll get the joke if you watch the video).

The MacArthur Firestorm

If you keep up with the goings on in the blogosphere, then you're probably aware of the brouhaha surrounding John MacArthur's initial address to the Shepherd's Conference last week. If you haven't heard, then let me fill you in. To kick off the conference, Dr. MacArthur made what seems to many to be a very unusual decision. After noting that what he was about to present was not a sermon, per se, he went on to say that he would be addressing the issue of "Sovereign Election, Israel, and Eschatology." But he also stated that this was not the title of his message. The real title, he later said, was this: "Why Every Self-respecting Calvinist is a Premillennialist."

Now, allow me to provide the obligatory clarifications: I love Dr. MacArthur. I respect and admire him. I am not worthy to untie the laces of his wingtips. Regardless of what Dr. MacArthur believes about the Kingdom of God, he has been used by God in the building of that kingdom in greater ways than I ever will be.

Having said that, I wish he hadn't done what he did. Not because I think he shouldn't preach his convictions, and not because I think he doesn't have the right to preach whatever he chooses at his own conference. Clearly, he does. No, I wish he hadn't done what he did because I believe, after listening to the message, that in so doing he has diminished himself, and it saddens me to see it.

It might have been different if Dr. MacArthur had confined himself to an explanation of his own position. Unfortunately, he didn't do that. He used the opportunity to attack (and i don't think that is too strong a word) another position (amillennialism), and soon made it clear that it is a position which he does not understand. I have heard many of those who share Dr. MacArthur's views seek to defend him on this point, but that is difficult to do when those who hold to an Amillennial position are united in their contention that Dr. MacArthur did not accurately represent that position. It seems strange to me that when so many amillennialists are saying, "What Dr. MacArthur described is not what we believe", that dispensationalists are saying, "Yes, you do." It seems to me that those who hold to a position are in the best position to determine what that position is.

This morning, as I was shoveling out from what I hope is our last snow storm of the year, I was listening to the messages from the Shepherds Conference. I heard Dr. MacArthur make the claim that Scripture is always to be understood according to its "normal" or "literal" meaning. He said that the Old Testament should always be understood just as the OT saints would have understood it.

And then the second message of the conference began. Steve Lawson would go on to deliver a wonderful address regarding the difference between an expository lecture, and expository "preaching". But what made me laugh out loud was the way in which he began his message. He began by reading from Peter's pentecost sermon...specifically, he read Peter's quotation of Joel.

Why did I laugh? Because if Peter utilized Dr. MacArthur's hermeneutic he never would have seen the events of Pentecost as a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy.

The juxtaposition of Lawson's intro with Dr. MacArthur's talk was, well, interesting, to say the least.

If you'd like to catch up with the controversy, the link above will take you to the Fide-0 blog. If you read through some of the entries on that site you'll find some links to other resources, including a link to the message itself, which you can download for $2.00 from the Shepherds Conf. website.

Coming Soon! The Purpose Driven Diet!

Check out the link above to hear of one man's experience at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church.

Geesh....You get sick for a few days, and .....

...they go and find Jesus' ossuary. And what do you know? He didn't really rise from the dead! There it is. Jesus and Mary and Joseph and the whole clan, all there together. Even Jesus' wife Mary Magdalene! The whole happy, dead, family.

Of course, they didn't find any such thing. But what money will be made claiming they did! James White has done a good job the past couple of day dealing with these things on his blog.

Don't let all the hype fool you. As I'm sure everyone already knows, things are not always as the media makes it seems.

There's No Place Like Home

It's been a bit of a rough week, having gone through a few days of a horrid stomach virus leading to incredible chest pain that put me in the hospital for a couple of days. But praise God, I seem to be passed it. Cardiac issues have been all but ruled out with the assumption that the pains were the result of the virus. Now its just a matter of getting my strength back.

Thanks to all those who were praying and who contacted my family to offer any help that might be needed.

I guess the Lord decided that I needed some down time. In spite of the pain, and the all of the unpleasantness that comes with such an illness, our God is good, and knows what is right. And so, even in illness, Blessed by the name of the Lord.