Behold the Lamb of God! - A Vision of Heaven: Part 5 - Revelation 5: 6-7

1:22Like I said, that's one of the most striking pictures of Christ in all of Scripture, and I hope to Pack that this morning, and I'm very thankful that that is where we are by God's providence this morning. But before I go there, I want to tell you a little bit about our home and our Christmas celebrations. Nancy sets up this beautiful nativity scene in our house, and it's one of the things that I like to do and get up early. It's got lights, really pretty, and I like to sit down there, drink a cup of coffee, and look at it.

2:03It just so happens that that nativity scene has become a place of nativity wars. And let me explain. So one morning, I'm sitting there drinking my coffee, and I notice a little figure, which looks like an angel, there on the screen. You can see it up there on top of the tree. Appropriate place for an angel. But then I got a closer look, and it was Princess Leah. Up there where Princess Leah does not belong. And these things start innocent enough. Somebody thinks, okay, we need another angel. We lost an angel, so we found a little figurine that looks like an angel, and they put it in a position. But things always. Start out innocent, but they end up taking over the whole mess. And then I enter into Nativity War. So I will take Princess Leah and put her where she needs to be. Bowed at the cradle of Jesus Christ, where everyone else does. I mean, the only Christ worth worshiping is the Christ of Scripture, and he is born King of kings, Lord of Lords, as we just sung, King of angels. So we think all is right, and then I leave the room, and the next thing I know, a couple days later, Princess Leah has taken another position, trying to take the glory for herself. And this goes on. I mean, it gets, and I'm not quite sure who the culprit or culprits are. There she is hanging off the side, oh, just always hamming it up, you know, trying to make Christmas all about her.

4:04And then one time she even got the donkey involved in it and put the mess. And each time, but that is where she belongs. If she's going to be in our nativity set, she needs to be. There's room for anyone, but only in the right place. If the Christ you serve is not a Christ worth celebrating by bowing, Down before him. He is not a Christ worth celebrating at all, and he's certainly not the Christ of Scripture, and he is not the Christ that we celebrate at Christmas. So, Nativity Wars. Well, this morning I want us to behold a Christ worth worshiping. And we see that in our text this morning.

4:56You know, it's really the depiction of a lamb. What John wants us to do is to behold the lamb this morning. And that's what he gives us in verse 6 of chapter 5. You know, in the very first book of the Bible in Genesis, you remember Isaac asked his father Abraham. He asked him a very important question. 22:7, Isaac spoke to Jacob. I mean, Isaac spoke to Abraham and said, My father, behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? And Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. A couple thousand years later, John the Baptist had a young disciple who we know as John the Apostle, who wrote the book of Revelation. But John the Baptist pointed out to his young disciple and he said to him, Look, behold the Lamb of God.

6:06And the two disciples that heard him speak, one of them being John, went and followed Jesus. And the young disciple, John, the apostle, beheld the power of the Lamb of God in his public life. He heard the Lamb's wisdom in his teaching ministry. He beheld the Lamb's perfections in his personal life. He beheld the crucifixion of the Lamb. He beheld the resurrection of the Lamb and the ascension of the Lamb of God into heaven. And now in the book of Revelation, in the text we just read this morning, the apostle beholds the glory of the Lamb of God and the events which Revelation is going to go on, the events, the last chapter of human history where all the world comes to behold the Lamb of God and assumes the posture of worship. All creation, heaven, earth, under the earth, when all come to the realization that this baby born in a major manger, king of kings, Lord of lords, and to him the obedience of all the nations and every living thing is due.

7:31So this morning, I want us to behold the Lamb of God through the words that John left us in verses 6 and 7. But so far, before we get there, just looking back, I want you to notice a couple things about chapter 5. You notice verse 1, John starts, I saw. I saw. You can circle the word, I saw. And then again in verse 2, and I saw. You can circle that word, I saw. And in verse 6, and I saw. So he's going through, John is telling us what he saw. Verse 1, he saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven scrolls. John saw a scroll. And then in verse 2, John saw a strong angel coming down, saying, Who is worthy to open up the book? And nobody was found. So John began to weep greatly. And then, beginning in verse 5, John beholds the most worthy individual in the entire universe. No one was worthy to open the book, break its scrolls. But then John, as he was weeping, one of the elders said to him, Stop weeping. Behold, the lamb that is, the lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has overcome.

9:00As to open the book and its seven seals. So, first of all, Jesus is described as the lion, the lion of Judah. And that depiction in Scripture informs us that Jesus, as the lion of Judah, he is the ruler to whom the obedience of all the nations is going to be given. He is the lion of Judah. Looked at that last time. Second, he is the root of David. As such, he is the promised Messiah who will fulfill God's promises to David. He is the cause of David's rise. He is the one who will fulfill all of the promises made to David. And so he is the lion of Judah. He is the root of David. And then in chapter, verse 6, we come to another description of this most worthy one, and that is that of a lamb. Notice John says, and I saw.

10:07Perhaps he's looking for the lion. Perhaps he's looking for this kingly, majestic Messiah, the root and cause of David. But instead, look at what he sees. And I saw between the throne with the four living creatures. And the elders, a lamb standing as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. So, the first thing that John wants us to behold is his appearance. John wants us to behold his appearance. There's no question he's talking about a human person here, one from the tribe of Judah, one of the descendants of David. And here he describes him as a lamb. But understand, he's talking about a person, and he's going to see a lamb. And through that metaphor, through that description, he's going to understand and behold something very specific about the ministry of Jesus Christ.

11:24And we'll just take each one because something builds here that is really profound and striking. And I saw between the throne with the four living creatures and the elders a lamb. A lamb. First of all, he notices a lamb. A lamb. After the angel summoning question, who is worthy? There he sees in the midst of the throne, the midst of the Living beings and the midst of the elders. It's probably a better word, it's not between. The location is in the midst of. A literal reading would be in the midst of the throne and the living beings and the midst of the elders. So he's seen this scene, and in the midst of all this, there in the midst of the throne, he sees a lamb. A lamb having taken its stand, as if to say, who is worthy, and the only one that comes forth is a lamb, a little lamb.

12:33The word there is only used here to describe Christ 26 times, by my count. Some count a little bit different, but by 26 times, 26 times is a reference to Christ, the lamb, and it's a little lamb. And the only other time that this word is used in the New Testament is when Jesus tells John, I mean, when Jesus in John 21 tells Peter, Do you love me? Tend my lambs. Tend my little lambs. Same word here. He sees a little lamb having taken its stand. Now you think that's quite a contrast to the glorious and mighty beings that have been described in Revelation thus far and throughout. It's quite a contrast. To the command of a lion.

13:34In fact, I want to show you something. Years ago, I went to Africa and took one of my sons with me. You'll recognize him. I got his permission to show this picture. But in Africa, 2015, we went, and on our way up to Malawi, we stopped in South Africa, and there's a lion park where you can go over and pet some lions, baby lions. This is a lion's whelp. This is when Genesis speaks of Judah is a lion's whelp. This is the image. He's a young lion, a lion cub. Notice the look on Josiah's face. Notice how he's petting, and notice how he's pretty cautious about the way he's petting this lion. Well, then, a year later, went back through, this time brought my daughters through, and got a picture of Anna petting the lion. Notice her face. Same little thing. There's a little bit of respect to a lion, isn't there? Even a cub. These things are big and strong and powerful, and so even when you pet them, you are a little bit respectful. Such as the lion of Judah, the obedience of the nations.

15:00A lamb is very different. A lamb is very humble, approachable. A very different depiction of Christ. Both images and metaphors that describe Jesus Christ. He is a lion to whom the obedience of all the nations is due. He's also a lamb, humble, gentle, innocent, approachable, compliant. As you look at this, you realize that the strength of the lion is in his lamb-like submission to the will of God. The strength of the Davidic line, the Davidic Messiah, is in his lamb-like submission to the will of God. Your strength and my strength is directly related to the submission, our submission to the Christ revealed in Scripture. That was his strength. That is our strength. That is where the lion gets his strength. It's in his lamb-like submission to the will of God. It's interesting because the word lion doesn't show up again in the book of Revelation, but the lamb.

16:31Does. And this image is going to be again and again used in Revelation. He is the Lamb of God. Behold the Lamb of God. There's one thing we need to do this Christmas Day is behold the Lamb of God. But it doesn't stop there. Notice, keep looking at it. And I saw between the throne a lamb standing as if slain. So not only is he a lamb, but he is a slain lamb. Literally, a lamb as one that has been slaughtered. That's a literal translation. A lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered. What does a slaughtered lamb look like? As you look through the pages of Scripture and you see the descriptions of a lamb that was slaughtered or a lamb that was slain and put upon the altar, it is a gruesome picture. It has been sliced, it has been bled, it's entered, removed, and tangled and put upon the altar. It is a gruesome, horrible picture. And yet, this is what John is describing.

18:00A lamb as if it had been slaughtered. You know, I know we have a lot of hunters here, a lot of deer hunters, and it's a good thing. It's a great thing, great day when you get your first deer. I remember the day I got my first deer. Some of you may remember, it wasn't too long ago. I'll show you a picture of the day I got my first deer. You remember? Came right through the windshield of my forerunner.

18:33The deer was fine. But that was my first deer, so I have to at least show, and everybody remember the great moment. But a slain, think about this for a moment. If you go out and suppose you get a deer, and I know enough about deers, I've lived at the boys' ranch and watching them hunt and clean deer. Suppose you get your deer, you shoot the deer, you take him over, you string him up by his hind legs, you slice his throat. Sorry for the blood, but his picture, it's in the text.

19:16Bleeding the deer, slice the deer open, you get them. Suppose you're in the process of cleaning your deer, you've got them pretty much slaughtered. You step away for a moment and you come back, and the deer has taken its stand. And it has, he's all whole again. And he is, you can see the scars all over him. And he's got this huge rack, and he's standing there in full strength. And he says to you, I ain't ever going to let you do that to me again.

19:49What do you think that would do to your hunting days? Come on, son, let me show you how to plant a garden. We're done with this hunting. We're going to be vegetarians here on out. The last thing you would expect a lamb to be doing that has been slaughtered is standing. It's a shocking scene. A lamb that has been slaughtered has now stepped forward and taken his stand as the most worthy one in heaven, as if to say, I am the one worthy to open the scrolls. And yet it's in a humble, like, lamb-like way that he comes standing before a lamb. What does a slain lamb look like? Well, you can certainly think what John is depicting here is the wounds upon Jesus are still visible and recognizable.

20:51John saw them. They were the day of his resurrection. People saw. Thomas later was to put his finger in and see the scars. And friends, and this is one of the things that shocks me about this whole scene, is that I believe when we see Christ, every scar that he was upon his body is going to be visible. If there's one scar, they're all there. And when you understand the depiction of a crucifixion, there is going to be plenty of scars. And at one glance at Christ, we're going to see the horror of what he went through for his people.

21:38And behind all that, we're going to understand the love that he has for his people and his utter hatred of sin in his people and in the world. All of that, just at a moment. Behold, this is what the Lamb of God looks like. It's enough to throw you down on your face. Lamb taking his stand. This is unquestionably a depiction of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. And the evidence that the Lamb has already overcome. You remember back in verse 5, the elder said, Look, the lion, the root of David, has overcome. Overcome. He has already overcome.

22:35And his wounds are evidence that he has overcome. So, what this means is, victory is no longer on the table. Victory is accomplished. Humanity will bear the image of its creator. There's not a question anymore. Christ went through the grave. He came out. And in that accomplishment, he took away the sins of the world. He took away the sins of his people. He gave them new life. They will bear God's image. The question about victory is no longer a question. The rest of Revelation isn't this conflict between evil and good over the contest of who's going to win. No, he has overcome. The great tribulation in Revelation is God's doing. It is not the devil's doing. And what you see happening in Revelation, yes, you see Armageddon, you see these stands, you see these horrific efforts.

24:00By all the satanic forces to oppose Christ. But it is defiance. Armageddon is nothing more than the last defiance. It's not a question of victory. That has been settled. Humanity will bear God's image. And it is Christ. It is the ministry of the sacrificial lamb that has accomplished it. But he keeps going. A lamb, a slain lamb. And in verse 6, notice he's a lamb with seven horns. I saw between the throne a lamb standing as if slain, having seven horns. Seven horns.

25:02What is that? Again, it's a metaphor describing something about this individual. And the horns throughout Scripture are a depiction of strength. Numbers 23:22, speaking of the nation of Israel, God brings them out of Egypt. He is for them like the horns of a wild ox. And throughout Scripture, you'll find that the horns. Horns are a picture of strength. Horns speak of power. And the fact that he has seven is a depiction of complete strength. Power that is comprehensive.

25:52His, remember in Matthew 28, 18, and Jesus came up to his disciples and he said to them, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Now you go and make disciples. That ought to make us want to go make disciples, right? All authority has been given to him, all authority in heaven and earth. It's his sacrifice for humanity that is the basis of his power over humanity. He is a lamb. He is a slain lamb. He is a lamb that is omnipotent. He is a lamb with all power, all authority. And now you almost get this picture of this risen, strong, powerful, almighty one.

26:57But it doesn't stop there. He goes on to describe him as a lamb with seven eyes. A lamb with seven eyes, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Seven eyes depict the fullness of vision, which relates to knowledge, nothing he misses. He understands everything. He understands us thoroughly. He understands us before a thought is even on our mind. He knows us thoroughly. And this is the miracle of Scripture. He knows us so well, and yet he loves us so intently.

27:50It speaks of omniscience. So these eyes say something about the Lamb. Both his power and knowledge is comprehensive. You can have all the power in the world, but if you don't have knowledge of every detail, you're limited. Opposite is true. If you have all the information, but you have no power to execute anything, you're limited. This is a depiction of the omnipotent, omniscient Christ. This is who we celebrate. In the manger. The eyes also say something about the Holy Spirit. The eyes which range to and fro throughout the earth, in Zechariah 4:10, in 2 Chronicles 16, 9, the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that he may strongly support those whose heart is completely his. You know what God is doing? Surveying, surveying, looking.

29:05Does anyone want to come? Does anyone have faith? Would anyone, even this morning, this beautiful Christmas day, if you've never put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, respond to these eyes right now, omnipotent, omniscient, knows everything about you and desires to enter in and be your king, be your Savior, be your king. He knows how life ought to be lived, he knows how life ought not to be lived. And he comes this Christmas morning as an invitation for you to embrace him.

29:58But these seven eyes. Say something about the Holy Spirit. You remember in chapter 4 and verse 5, I'll just read that, speaking of the vision of the throne where the Creator God sits. In 4:5, out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. So, in relation to Father God, Creator, Father God, seven flames speak of the relationship between God the Father and the Holy Spirit. And here, here, the seven eyes speak of the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

30:50There is, they've been sent. Notice there's mission. It's not just omniscience, there's mission involved. The seven spirits of God, which is a depiction of the complete manifold administration of the Holy Spirit. That menorah depiction, a lamb with seven eyes, sent out into all the earth. It's a mission, accomplishing something. It is through the ministry of the lamb that the Holy Spirit's ministry operates. The Lamb's ministry is not complete. Remember, he said, It's better for you if I go, because if I don't go, the Holy Spirit will not come. And the Holy Spirit has a mission to complete. Christ Himself has a mission to complete. That's why it's so exciting when we baptize somebody, because it's a depiction of what Christ has done. When a clean spirit comes over a person, that is Christ baptizing his person. And listen, we need to be born again. If you have never been born again, you will never have that clean spirit. But wow, what a beautiful thing it is when all of a sudden that spirit who is alone, who is isolated, who is running from God, all of a sudden turns and embraces Christ and receives forgiveness of sins, receives a new life and a new purpose. And all of a sudden, this clean spirit comes in. And you can see it. But it's evidence that Christ is still at work. And he is this morning. If that is you this morning, come to him.

32:44The Lamb, the slain Lamb, is the all-powerful Lamb and the all-knowing Lamb. And he is the mediator of salvation. You want to be saved this morning? Just come. Say, Lord Jesus, save me. The mediator of all power and salvation is a human being, resurrected, the Lamb. And his sacrifice, the Lamb's sacrifice, is the ongoing basis for his ministry on earth. The Holy Spirit continues to apply the salvation that Christ offers by awakening, by applying the blood of Christ to the sinners who come to him.

33:41Well, that is his appearance. I want to look real quickly at his action. Look at his action. Verse 7. So behold the Lamb. We have beheld his appearance this morning. Now we want to behold his action. He came and took the book out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. So the metaphor of six is finished. The human being depicted as the lion, the root, and the lamb, now comes forward and takes the book out of the right hand, or the scroll out of the right hand of creation. God upon his throne.

34:34The slain lamb approaches. What is the scroll? Well, it's the destiny of humanity. It's specifically the future events, the last events of human history. And the question is: who is worthy to navigate human history to its conclusion? And the answer is a resounding: it is the lamb who was slain, the one with all power and all knowledge. Why? Well, because without him, the human experiment would be over. Talk about the American experiment. Can everything really happen? Can we really have a government here like this? Used to hear the American spirit experiment. Well, here's the question.

35:26If the Lamb didn't go to the cross and purchase people for God, the whole human experiment would have been over. It would have ended in Noah's flood. The only difference is there wouldn't have been an ark to rescue anyone. All are shut up in sin. All are under condemnation, and all need a Savior. But they need more than just a Savior. They need a king, somebody is going to, and a shepherd who's going to instruct them in the way to truly live. You see, when the Jews and the Romans were crucifying Jesus, guess what? He was in the process of saving them.

36:07He was laying the foundation for their eternal life. And it was his victory there at the cross that secured a good destiny for humanity and for you and for me. That's why, over and over, the call in Scripture is to come to the cross. Come to Christ. Come to Christ. There, every offense will be removed and a new life completely given. And unless you are born again, you cannot know, see, understand, or even enter the kingdom of God. But the good news is, Christ was born this Christmas day as an invitation for all to come and worship Him.

37:00Well, as we close, I want to relate some of these things and summarize these thoughts here about Christ as we behold Jesus, the one worthy to celebrate today, the one worthy of worship. He is described in our texts here, immediate texts, as the lion of Judah, the one to whom the obedience of the nations are due. He is the root of David, that glorious, majestic. Messiah, whose throne is forever. So his obedience as a lion and his enduring throne speak of obedience to him that is going to go on forever and ever.

37:47And then he is also the lamb, that humble, innocent, approachable person. He's the slain lamb, speaks of obedience to his heavenly father. He holds us to no greater standard than to himself. He himself sees that all is due to the will of the Father, and that is his strength, and that's what he is about for his people, leading them to that place as well. He is the slain lamb, obedient to death. And in that victory, the source of the lion's strength and the Messiah's strength is in the slain lamb. He is the all-powerful lamb. He is the all-knowing lamb. And all of this comes together in a single person who we celebrate, his birth today.

38:49You see, the roles of the lion and the root and the lamb relate to one another. The obedience of the people is built upon the purchase of the people. By Christ's sacrificial death. Without the ministry of the slain lamb, there would be no people to obey the lion. They would have all been condemned. Just as God gave you life in the first place, the lamb redeemed that life so you could go on living with God. And so, both in chapter 4 and chapter 5, Creator God deserves to be worshipped because without him, none of us would be here. And the Redeemer Lamb deserves to be worshiped because without him, none of us would be here.

39:48So, without the slain lamb, there would be no people to obey the lion. They would all have been destroyed. Without the ministry of the slain lamb, there could be no Messiah. The only function of the Messiah would be of a conquering nature because, really, the duty and responsibility of the Messiah is to conquer God's enemies. Well, guess what? If everybody's God's enemies, guess what? There's no saving ministry for the Messiah. So, without the ministry of the slain lamb, there would be no saving ministry of the Messiah. You can think of it this way: without the Passover Lamb, there would have been no. Passover. Without Passover, everyone's still in Egypt.

40:36So, why a crucified Messiah? Well, without David's throne, without a crucified Messiah, without him, David's throne is an empty empire. Yet God wants relationship with his people. And that relationship is the bowing to him. And it has to be because that's who he is. You are not God. You are not your own Savior. So bow your heart this morning to your Creator God, who took on flesh, was born in a manger. Bow your heart before your Redeemer, God, who was born of flesh, grew up as an innocent lamb, went to the cross to take away your sin, my sin, and to resurrect us in newness of life. Yes, there are new beginnings.

41:42What a glorious reminder as we come to the end of the year and the celebration of this day. It's the only thing left for you to do is to bow to him. And I know many of you, you've walked with the Lord for many years. Bow to him all the more. Some in here today have never bowed to him. Bow to him today. Simply ask him to forgive you of your sins and to teach you to walk in his ways. He'll save you in an instant and he'll give you a clean spirit. That's what he's doing. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we do bow our hearts before you, thanking you for this day and a reminder that you took upon flesh and dwelt among us.

42:35You were born of us so that we could be born of you. And, Father, these truths are beyond our ability to fathom. But we can see them and we can see to whom they point and why they point there. We all know that we need cleansing and forgiveness of sins. We all know that we need new life, a new spirit, a spirit for living in a clean way before you. So, Father, we just thank you this morning for these reminders. We thank you for what your spirit is doing, continuing the work, applying the sacrifice of your son to your people and to anyone and everyone across the globe who will cry out and call to you. So, that is our heart this morning.

43:23That your saving ministry would continue here, that your sanctifying ministry would continue here, and that we would lead. Here, mindful that you are the Christ truly worth celebrating and worth worshiping. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.