A Song for a New Year - A Vision of Heaven: Part 6 - Revelation 5: 8-10

1:08Maybe you all have heard this little poem or cliché that my mom spoke to me this last week, thinking about the new year. Same song, second verse, could be better, could be worse. You've heard it. That's the first time I'd heard it. Same song, second verse, could be better, could be worse. Well, there's always an excitement about a new year, something that the old has moved on, a fresh start looking forward. Let me ask you a question: what is going to be different about this year? I'm sure a lot of you have probably already mapped out a new diet plan and perhaps a new workout routine. Sometimes that lasts about two days. But the question that I think we need to ask ourselves: what is going to be different? Is this going to be same song, second verse, could be better, could be worse? I think that summarizes a lot of people's approach to a new year. Well, it's more the same. Hopefully, it's a little better, but it could be a little worse.

2:24But how do we approach the new year from a paradigm change to where we could say that it couldn't possibly be worse, but only be better? Well, as we look at our passage this morning, it is about a new song, singing a new song. And I'd like to bring this new song that the worship leaders of heaven sang in the presence of all the angels and all the beings of heaven. I want us to focus our attention on that so that maybe we can in this new year echo their song. Now that's a paradigm change. When you begin to echo the song of heaven, new song for a new year.

3:17Well, recall, we've already looked in chapter 5. There was this search for the worthy one. Who is worthy? The test of worthiness is who in heaven is worthy enough to come and take the scroll from the hand of the Almighty sitting on the throne. Who is worthy to come and open it and break its seals? Well, then there was a search in verses 3 and 4, a search for the worthy one. And there was no one that was found that was worthy to open the scroll, to guide humanity to its conclusion. There was no one worthy. And this left John in an intense frame of weeping, wailing, because there was no one found worthy.

4:19And then in chapter 5, or verse 5, one of the elders said, 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. 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. And he came and he took the book out of the right hand of him who sat upon the throne.

4:58So the worthy one is described as the lion from Judah. He's described as the root, the source, the cause of David. And his persona is that of a lamb having been slain, slaughtered, bearing all the marks of the crucifixion. And so his worthiness is seen already in his action, in that he has come and he has taken the scroll. His worthiness is seen in the response of the living beings as we look at it this morning. Look at verse 8. When he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers. Of the saints. So his worthiness is seen in the response of the living beings. Notice what they did. First, they cast themselves down. The expression here is they fell down, but that's maybe a little too soft. This is not a passive verb, as you might say, they fell down. They saw something overwhelming that caused them to fall down. No, that's not the expression. It's an active verb. They saw, when they saw him take the scroll, they threw themselves down. They prostrated themselves. They quickly assumed the posture of worship. That catches a little more of the force there. They prostrated themselves. They cast themselves down.

6:50These living beings are the elders following the cue, or they're with the living creatures. They fell down. And notice that these elders, probably, speaking of the elders, they had a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. It could be that these, grammatically, it could work that the living beings and the elders both have harps, both have golden bowls. But also, what I would think just it appears that it's the elders who have the harps and who have. The golden bowls, but regardless, you get this picture of these stringed instruments to accompany.

7:38It's the word for the lyre versus harp, same word. And they have these golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. So these offerings of the prayers that these elders are going to pour out. These are probably, and I think you could take this. What do these prayers reflect? Who are they the prayers of? Well, of the saints, perhaps all the saints of all time. There's an expression of prayer going up. Perhaps some take it just as prayers of those tribulation saints.

8:20I would see it as prayers of those people throughout the ages that have longed for the coming of Christ. In the context here, the scroll is being opened. The scroll is about God coming to earth, Christ opening the scrolls, and at the end of the seals and the end of the scroll, when all has run its course, Christ has established himself upon the earth. All the earth recognizes him. So I think these prayers are something consistent with that. How many times have we prayed? And O Lord, come quickly, O Lord, come soon.

9:00It seems that there is this expression of prayers there, that in conjunction with the opening of the seals, comes an answer to many, many prayers of the saints. Second thing they do is they sing a new song. So they sing a new song. Look in verse 9. And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals. So the worthiness of Christ is seen in his action of taking the scrolls. His worthiness is seen in the posture that the worship leaders of heaven take. They cast themselves down. And also, this song they sing. They sing a new song.

10:02And this song that they sing amounts to a confession as to why the Lamb is worthy. They're going to answer the question: why is he worthy? They've just prostrated themselves before the Lamb. They've done so the same with the Creator, the one who sits on the throne. Now they're assuming the same posture of worship for this slain Lamb. And their song is a confession of why he is worthy. They sing a new song. And so this morning what we want to look at is why is he worthy? Why is he worthy? And before we look at the reasons for his worthiness, I want you to take note of a couple of details in verse 9. Notice that they sang a new song. Now, this deals more with quality rather than a date on a calendar. Like this morning, we wake up and it's the new year. So we look at the calendar. But there's also a sense where we approach this year, it's a fresh year, a new one, an undefiled one, potential. That's the idea here. It's a new song, a fresh song, a song of a different quality. Not just, okay, now we're moving along, we're going to come up with a new song as a date on a calendar. No, it's a qualitatively different song. It is a fresh song, not just a recent song, it is a fresh song. But another thing I want you to notice is that it's personal in nature. And they sang a new song, Worthy Are You, to take the book and to break its seals. Worthy are you. It's not just a song. About the Lamb, it's a song to the Lamb. Worthy are you.

12:09You know, maybe it's time that you sing a new song. Maybe it's time for all of us to retune. If you're a Christian, maybe it's time to retune your song to match that which heaven sings. And maybe if you've never known Christ, maybe it's time for you to sing a whole new song. Maybe our song needs to change from worthy am I to worthy are you. You see, we can easily go through life grumbling about our circumstances, complaining to God and expecting more from Him, as if we could say, Worthy am I, Lord, to have a better situation, a better circumstance. Worthy am I, Lord, and you're the one to fill that need because worthy am I.

13:12And I think that, not careful, that's the way we go through life. Worthy am I for you to treat me well. Worthy am I to have these things. But you see, the song of heaven, worthy are you. Worthy are you, Lord. That's personal. It's not just a song about the Lamb. It's a song to the Lamb. Maybe it's time for us to join this chorus and say, Worthy are you. Well, as we continue looking at verses 9 and 10 this morning, I want us to see why the Lamb is worthy to open the scroll so that you will echo this new song in this coming year, this fresh year that has been set before you. There's really three reasons.

14:13His worthiness is explained in this new song. We've seen his worthiness. He took the scroll, and the worship leaders prostrating themselves. And in this new song, they sing why he is worthy and explain his worthiness. And there's three actions. It's very, very easy to see. If you'll look at verse 9, look at the first one. It's very easy. They're right there. Jump out off the page. Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals, for you were slain. You were slain.

14:53First reason to explain the worthiness of the Lamb is. In terms of what he did, he was slain. The lion from Judah, the root of David, is the one who was slaughtered. And notice that his worthiness is tied to what he did, an action, a deed. It's not simply he is ascribed worthiness because of who he is. Pay very careful attention here. Yes, who he is is related to what he has done, but the emphasis is here is clearly upon what he did. What he did is because of who he is, but the emphasis here is something he did, an action.

15:57We know who he is by what he has done. And the same is true about the one sitting upon the throne. If you look back at chapter 4 and verse 11, what does it say? Worthy are you? Same expression. Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and because of you they existed and were created. Listen, the word, your creator deserves your song. Because without him, you would not be here. You should worship God simply because he is your creator.

16:42But then, looking at the lamb, what did he do? He was slain. He was slaughtered. And this lamb, who still bears all the marks of his crucifixion, willingly suffered extreme anguish of body and soul. Why? Why? Why was he slaughtered? Well, it's clear, just before we get too far, that it's going to answer that question more and more as we go along. But just stopping right here, the fact that he was slaughtered, it's very clear that he loved something more than he loved himself.

17:24That's the heart. He loved something more than himself. That's why he allowed himself to be slaughtered. And one cannot help but admire. Let's just stop for a minute and just admire Christ for just a moment. Admire His love for God. Admire what's going on in His heart. Admire His love for God and His love for people. His love for both shows up in what He does. Did. Listen, here is a true hero. You want a superhero? Here he is. Look at the heart of the true hero. This is the one that God has given to say, here, this is heroic. We have a lot of superheroes today. Very popular to have a superhero or superheroes. And they kind of reflect very much so the ancient Greco-Roman gods who all had some kind of superpowers of their day. But when you look at them, you realize they have real heart issues. They can't seem to get a grip on their own passions and their own issues.

18:46Such are the superheroes of our times. Such were the superheroes of ancient times. But here is the true hero. Look at his heart. Here is the heart of true nobility. You want to have a heart of substance? Look here. I think some of you history buffs may be familiar with Richard the Lion-hearted, that king of England back in, oh, 1100s, about 10 years, the latter part of the 1100s. Reigned. He was known as Richard the Lionheart because he was a great military man and a great warrior.

19:44Impressive. But the lion that is from Judah isn't called a lion because he has a heart of a warrior. He has the heart of a sacrificial lamb. He loves something more than himself. And he went and he laid his life down, allowed it to be slaughtered. He has a heart that loves something greater than himself. You were slain. But it's important to understand that Jesus isn't just all heart. He has this heroic heart, but he combines with his heroic heart skillful, purposeful diligence and wisdom in accomplishing something profound.

20:50In other words, he has the heart and the skill to match it. He has the Strength. He has the nobleness of heart and the nobleness of mind to accomplish something that no one else can do. He's not reckless in the way he laid down his life, but was very purposeful and skillful in what his life would accomplish. So, a new song, confessing the worthiness of the Lamb, begins with You Were Slain. But look back, look back. There is a second. 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 tribe and tongue and people and nation. Second action of the Lamb that describes his worthiness is the fact that he purchased. He laid down his life and purchased something for God.

22:06His blood has purchasing power. It's spiritual capital, currency. His death gave him the ability to purchase something that money could not buy. Something that even God couldn't purchase without his blood. It's profound. But notice for whom he spent this spiritual capital. Look back. Worthy are you. For you were slain and purchased for God. Notice that? Purchased for God. Literally, you purchased to God in your blood. Be a literal translation. You purchased to God in your blood something. Translation, you purchased for God with your blood. Accomplishes the same.

23:10But the gift is for God. The Lamb purchased something for God. His blood was the price. And notice, what did he buy for God with his blood? Look back. He purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Actually, the word men isn't in the text. You may have a word there that says people or it's in italics. It's not there in the original, but it's implied. So the idea is that he purchased people from all walks of life. That's what he bought for God.

24:01Notice the description: tribe, tongue, people, nation. Now that's a pretty comprehensive statement about diversity. He bought every kind of tribe. Word for tribe speaks of those of the same descent, the same clan, same family. You purchased people from every tribe. Tongue speaks of those who speak of the same language, who speak the same language. Tongue, people. You use that word for people. It speaks of those who share the same interests or the same background, from the same stock.

24:49And the word for nation speaks about those who perhaps have the same political ties or the same customs, manners, habits. So when you put it all together, you have the one from the tribe of Judah, that is the Jews, purchased people from every tribe, every tongue, every people, every nation. That's what he bought to God. The question is, why did they have to be purchased? Very good question. I'm glad you're thinking along these lines. What held them that they had to be purchased? Now, there is this thought out there that you ever heard of the ransom to Satan idea?

25:49That Satan owned Satan, was the one who had to be appeased, and that Christ's blood paid off Satan? Get that out of your mind. That doesn't square with Scripture at all. Tell you what had to be paid off was divine justice. That's what had to be paid off. God Himself, just and holy, had to be paid off. His justice had to be satisfied. He could never go down a road of blessing a sinner without opening himself up to being unjust.

26:47There was an issue of divine justice. We have all offended God's holiness. And to expect that God Would let me into heaven based upon my merits is to bring heaven down to my level and insult God's justice. I'm good enough for heaven. God, you can just let this go. Don't worry about your justice. You see, we were made to exemplify him, and each of us has failed to do so. We have animated the devil. We have animated ourselves more than we have animated God, and there is a penalty for that. It can't just be swept under the rug without God being open to the charge of being unjust. The fact that he lets a sinner live and gives us a day begs for an atonement of some sort.

27:56For God is open to just being unjust. I love how Spurgeon said this. I just quote Charles Spurgeon. I believe in an atonement which Christ literally took the sins of his people and for them endured the wrath of God, giving to justice, quid pro quo, for all that was due it or an equivalent for it, bearing that. We might not bear the wrath that was due to us. Jesus Himself really bore our sins in His own body on the tree. He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. There was a literal, positive, actual substitution of the just for the unjust to bring us to God. No other atonement is worth the breath used in preaching of it. I will neither give comfort to the conscience, it will neither give comfort to the conscience nor glory to God. But on this rock our souls may rest without fear, and it is because of this that they sing in heaven, Thou art worthy, for thou wast slain.

29:26You see, how does God bless the sinner without laying Himself open to the charge of being unjust? You see, for grace to flow to us, justice had to be satisfied, and His blood paid off the justice. God is just and He can forgive sin and still be just. He can bless the sinner and still be just. Christ can forgive. Can make us new. Christ can make us into something good because he has taken away the offense. And only Christ can do that because he's the only one who can take away the offense.

30:17He was slain to take away the offense. That's why we can have a new year. That's why sins can be forgiven. And listen, friends, if God has forgiven you, don't bring it back up. Thank him. Remember, but don't live under the weight of that sin. That's why he's worthy for you to sing a new song, because he has purchased you. A new song that confesses the worthiness of the Lamb. You were slain. You were purchased. The third action of the Lamb, you made them. Look back.

31:07Verse 10, you have made them to be a kingdom and priest to our God. Now, if you have a King James, it says, You have made us to be a kingdom and priest to our God. No, the best manuscripts, for sure, without much debate, is You have made them. The elders are speaking about them, people. Regardless, it doesn't really change the song. You have made them. I would preach it, you have made us because that's effectively what has done. But the text is: you have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God.

31:58But notice, Jesus Christ, the slain lamb, he made people into two things. Two things. First of all, you can see it right there. You have made them to be a kingdom, a kingdom. The cross, friends, established a new kind of people on the earth, a kingdom. What is a kingdom? Well, it welcomes the dominion of the king. This kingdom that he has purchased is a kind that welcomes God's dominion. And be clear, it is first and foremost a spiritual kingdom. One who welcomes Christ into his heart, welcomes God. Kingdom to God, to our God, a kingdom that welcomes God's dominion.

32:57And it speaks of a Whole category of individuals who are of Earth's population who truly bow their hearts to God. They are distinct. They are unique in that they truly bow their hearts to God. Are you part of this kingdom? You can be today, you're not. Notice that this is one kind of people, but notice they are out of every tribe, every tongue, every people, and every nation. One kingdom, one people. No reparations are needed. They are one.

33:48They have already been reconciled to God, reconciled to one another. The only outstanding debt they owe to one another is to love each other in the same way that they have been loved. But there's a second thing he made them to be. You have made them a kingdom. You have made them priests. Look at that. What's a priest? A servant. Servant to God. Servant to one another. Just like. The lion, the root, the lamb who was slain.

34:36They are priests. When you think about priests, what are the concepts there? Well, a priest has access to God, presence with God, and service. A kind that is close to God, this is this kingdom, and a kind of people who serve God's interests. The Lamb has made them ministers to God, a kingdom to God, who welcomes His dominion, and ministers to serve Him, and to delight in serving Him, which inevitably shows up in sacrificial, over-the-top service for one another, just like the Lamb who is slaughtered.

35:32He has made them a kingdom and priests. You see, He purchased them for God, He equipped them to serve God. Are you a Christian? Then you have been purchased for God, you have been equipped to serve God, and you will find your delight in service. To God instead of service to yourself. Not in worthy am I, but worthy are you. And pay attention. He made them. Notice, he made them. He's in the process of making them. No, he made them.

36:25This is who you are if you are in Christ. He was slain for them, he purchased for them to accomplish something in making them into a kingdom and priests. You know, I think about the fun in watching kids grow up. It's all there day one. That program, that DNA program seems to be hardwired day one. Yeah, there's some certain things about the environment, but I'll tell you what, there's something really hardwired about each of us when we come into this world. It's all there. And life becomes, as many of you parents know, it's fun to discover what kind of a personality emerges from this child. But it's all there. It's all there from the very beginning. Ephesians 2:10 says this, for we are his workmanship, created. In Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. God has prepared good works for you to walk in. Revelation 19:7 speaks about the Lamb has come. The Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. And in verse 8, it says, And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. God has given you good works to walk in, so go do it.

38:08Walk in it. It is your adornment. Don't waste another breath singing a song, Worthy am I, but sing, worthy are you. 1 John 3:2, John says, Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet appeared as what we will be. There's a discovery. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him just as he is. If you're born of God, this anticipation of seeing what is coming and what God is doing should match that as you see your kid growing up. There is a discovery. There is something to be discovered this year about God, about yourself, about the The good works that he has you walking in, and that will be your adornment.

39:06So worthy are you, Lord. Let me walk in those. Not worthy am I. But there's a future outcome of all this. There's a goal that this is. You were slain. His worthiness is explained by the new songs. You were slain, you purchased, and you made them to be kingdom and priests. But there is an outcome of all this. What is the outcome of all these actions of the Lamb? Look back. They will reign. Last part of verse 10. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth. Future tense. They will reign. There is a future for this new kind of people, this new kingdom of people.

40:04And what does a kingdom do? Reigns, has dominion. This kingdom will have dominion over the earth. No equivocation about it. This is the song being sung. You see, the inevitable outcome is this spiritual kingdom will be a physical one. They will. Will reign, future. Specifically, they will reign upon the earth. In fact, when you get to Revelation 20 and verse 14, verse 4, it specifically says, those who had not worshipped the beast or his image and not had received the mark, they're the ones who came to life, they're the ones who reign with Christ for a thousand years. Those who worship the beast, those who worship the gods of this earth, they will not reign upon the earth.

41:04But those who have been made kingdom priests, they will reign upon the earth in the millennium and beyond, the new heavens and the new earth. You see, the destiny of the purchased ones is serving God without distinction. Whoever you are, if you have been purchased, you are a priest to serve God's interests, to be present, to have access, to walk with and to serve, and to find your fulfillment and joy in serving Him. See, the purchased ones are destined to serve God without distinction and without.

42:00Cessation. They all will serve. They all will continue to serve forever. Each one in their own unique individual capacity serving. Listen, it's not about what He's given you. It's about His worthiness. It's not about the largeness or the smallness of the task. It's about the one whom you're doing this task for. You say, well, I've got just a little bitty thing to do. Well, in the grand scheme, we all have little bitty things to do. But it's not about the size of the task. It's about the worthiness. One, is He worthy for you to go do that little task for him? That becomes the question. And the answer from heaven: yes.

43:01Yes. No matter how seemingly insignificant the task is, that has nothing to do with it. It has everything to do with the worthiest one in heaven. But notice that each one keeps their individual identity, and each nation keeps their corporate identity. Their national identities remain intact. They're not going to be stripped of their ethnic distinctives, and then all of a sudden we just kind of mesh together in some blob. No, there's distinctions. All nations, Jew and Gentile, will have unique roles, each contributing to the global benefits in serving God and his Christ. This is the whole reason humanity was created in the first place to reign upon the earth.

44:03You remember, I think we can take for a moment now and just I want to talk to you about this whole concept of the kinsman redeemer. When we see this purchase price, we're quick to think culturally, and many think about the Roman slave trade. And yes, there are some parallels with that here. But biblically, there's a parallel more significantly, I believe, with the kinsman redeemer. God went to great pains to lay out this quirky little thing about this leverite marriage to make sure that land that was given, allotted to a family in Israel would remain, even if they walked away from it. God wanted to make sure that there was a way for their inheritance to be restored.

45:03You remember the book of Ruth? What's the book of Ruth all about? It's about a family, one family, out of one nation, one people, one tongue, one tribe who forfeited their inheritance. You remember? They said, okay, we're getting up, we're getting out of the land of Israel, we're going over to Moab. They left their inheritance. But the book of Ruth isn't just about them leaving their inheritance, it's about how God restored their inheritance and an elaborate redemption process. And it's about the land, guys, gals. It's not about the girl. It's about the land. God wanted the inheritance back in the family. Yes, it's a good love story about Ruth and Boaz, but it's a story about, it's a redemption process that involved kinsmen redeemers, one by the name of Boaz, the other by the name of Obed. And the greater emphasis is put upon Obed, for he is Naomi's kinsman redeemer, and he is the one who is going to receive the land and raise up and occupy this land that.

46:30Naomi left with her husband, and he's bringing it back to them. It is through Obed that Naomi is going to be delivered from her bitterness and from her emptiness and is going to restore the land and a family. Herein is the root of David. Who comes from Obed? Jesse. Who comes from Jesse? David. Do you see? The whole rise of David comes out of this elaborate redemption plan. The root of David, the cause of David. Not only is he the branch of David, he is the cause of David. This whole family of this one nation, this one people, this one tribe, and this one tongue left their inheritance.

47:36And God raised up a Redeemer and restored it. But you know what? That wasn't the only tribe, tongue, people, and nation that forfeited their God-giving inheritance. Every one of them. Remember in Genesis 1:26, what was the purpose for man? God said, Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. Let them rule. That is exercised dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, over the cattle, and over the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Friends, earth was not created for unrighteousness. It was created for righteousness.

48:32Humanity was made to image God. You were created to image God, not image Satan, and not image yourself. But all the nations have gone their own way. But God's plan for the earth is still the same. It isn't going to be the support for unrighteousness. It's going to be the place where righteousness dwells. And it was the Lamb who will guide humanity to its conclusion. That is why he is worthy to come and break the seals.

49:11Because he is humanity's kinsman redeemer. And he is going to give back, raise up, and make sure that they receive the inheritance that God allotted to him. Lotted to them. Well, a new song for a new year. You know, if you just casually read through Revelation, as we read a little while ago, it reveals that Revelation is a book about bringing in newness to a fallen world. It's not a book that's primarily concerned with destruction, but newness and the sequence of events that God is going to do to bring about newness.

50:09Remember in the days of Noah's Ark, a flood was coming, but what was happening? God was going to bring about newness upon the earth. Well, in a like manner, he is going to bring about newness on the earth. And if you just start working backwards from Revelation, you realize that he's going to make all things new, 21.5. There's going to be a new Jerusalem, a new kind, 21.2. There's a new heavens and a new earth, 21.1. And then there's new names. Even Jesus, as we've already seen in chapter 3 and verse 12, is going to have a new name. Each of us are going to have a new name.

50:51He's making all things new. And in our text this morning, a new song. You see, Revelation isn't just a book to satisfy our eschatological curiosities, but to cause greater trust in, greater obedience to, and greater worship of the God who created you and the God who redeemed you. So as we bring it down to our year today, you think about it, if all of heaven sees him as worthy to guide human history to its conclusion, shouldn't you and I be able to trust him with our future?

51:40Do you see Jesus as worthy of writing the final chapters of your life? Can you with confidence echo this heavenly song, Worthy are you? You are worthy to guide my future because you have redeemed me. Without you, I would have no good future. Worthy are you to assign me to any place of service you choose because you made me a priest to God and you have equipped me wisely for such service. You have made me to be fulfilled in your service.

52:28Well, maybe it's time we sing a new song. Same song, second verse. Could be better, could be worse. I would add: a new song, let us sing together. It couldn't be worse, it could only be better. We need a paradigm change, don't we? A new song. Let us sing one that reflects this song of heaven. A song of trust. Maybe you've never put your faith and trust in Christ. It's time for you to sing a new song. Join the heavenly chorus. Maybe for many of us, this is just a reminder to retune and sing this song, Worthy Are You? Worthy Are You, to receive first place in everything.

53:20Well, I'd like to close this service with just a moment of silence. Just bow our heads. And I want you to just personally, right where you are, pray, respond to whatever the Lord's leading you to respond, to confess, say, pray. And then I'll close this here in just a moment. Indeed, Father. We give you thanks. We confess that you are worthy. We see that now. Help us by your Spirit to respond. It's one thing to see that you are worthy. It's another thing to ascribe such worthiness to you in our daily routine. Father, we ask by your Spirit that you would enable us, equip us to not only understand these truths, but to be a people who ascribe worthiness to you. Thank you for life. Thank you for redemption. Thank you for the good works that you have laid before us. Thank you for your promised presence. Thank you for the forgiveness of sins. Thank you for giving us meaning and purpose in life. And, Father, may this new year be a song that echoes that of heaven. Worthy are you.

55:06For you were slain, and you purchased us, and you have made us into vehicles and instruments for noble purposes. And so we wish to walk in them. To the praise of your great name. Amen. You are dismissed.