Today followers of Jesus will gather to worship the Savior who was slain.

Some will gather in churches or cathedrals, ­others will meet in homes and huts, and still others will worship from prisons.

Some will ­worship traditionally, and others will do so with a more modern bent.

Many will meet publicly, and some will gather in secret.

But all will worship the Savior who laid down his life for them. 

At the center of Revelation 5 is a surprising, beautiful vision of Jesus.

On the one hand, Jesus is described as a lion.

He’s strong and is able to open the scroll that contains God’s redemptive plan.

He alone is able to carry it out.

On the other hand, he looks like a lamb that was slain.

Humble and gentle, he gave himself, utterly and completely, over to death.

How could Jesus be both a lion and a lamb?

The two images don’t seem to fit.

The answer is that he is the King because he was willing to die.

Jesus has received a crown because he carried the cross.

Only by having died for us is he now able to bring history to a victorious end for God and his people.

This devotional message is summed up in verse 9 -“Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation”

As we gather to worship today, wherever you are, why ever you are, whenever you are, glorify Jesus for the gift of salvation.

Join with fellow Christians and with the angels in heaven in shouting out,

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain!”

Revelation 5Amplified Bible

The Scroll with Seven Seals

5 I saw in the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, closed and sealed with seven seals. ² And I saw a strong angel announcing with a loud voice, “Who is worthy [having the authority and virtue] to open the scroll and to ^[a]break its seals?” ³ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in Hades, the realm of the dead] was able to open the scroll or look into it. ⁴ And I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it. ⁵ Then one of the [twenty-four] elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look closely, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome and conquered! He can open the scroll and [break] its seven seals.”

⁶ And there ^[b]between the throne (with the four living creatures) and among the elders I saw a Lamb (Christ) standing, [bearing scars and wounds] as though it had been slain, with seven horns (complete power) and with seven eyes (complete knowledge), which are ^[c]the seven Spirits of God who have been sent [on duty] into all the earth. ⁷ And He came and ^[d]took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. ⁸ And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb (Christ), each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of fragrant incense, which are the prayers of the saints (God’s people). ⁹ And they sang a new song [of glorious redemption], saying,

“Worthy and deserving are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰ 
“You have made them to be a kingdom [of royal subjects] and priests to our God; and they will reign on the earth.”

Angels Exalt the Lamb

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and [the voice] of the living creatures and the elders; and they numbered myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands (innumerable), ¹² saying in a loud voice,

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

¹³ And I heard every created thing that is in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in Hades, the realm of the dead] or on the sea, and everything that is in them, saying [together],

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb (Christ), be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

¹⁴ And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped [Him who lives forever and ever].

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

Holy! Holy! Holy!

Are You Lord God, Almighty!

Worthy Is The Lamb!

Worthy Is The Lamb!

You Are Holy!

Agnus Dei – The title Lamb of God (in Latin Agnus Dei) appears in the Gospel of John, with the exclamation of John the Baptist: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29-30)

In our selected text we find two references to Christ as a “Lamb that was slain”

Revelation 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Look with me to the text and let’s see a few reasons why the Lamb is worthy:

Revelation 5:1-5Amplified Bible

The Scroll with Seven Seals

5 I saw in the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, closed and sealed with seven seals. ² And I saw a strong angel announcing with a loud voice, “Who is worthy [having the authority and virtue] to open the scroll and to ^[a]break its seals?” ³ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in Hades, the realm of the dead] was able to open the scroll or look into it. ⁴ And I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it. ⁵ Then one of the [twenty-four] elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look closely, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome and conquered! He can open the scroll and [break] its seven seals.”

John saw a book

– Literally a scroll that was sealed with seven seals.

This scroll was in the right hand of God.

By this point John must have been overwhelmed at all that he has witnessed in Revelation Chapters 1-4.

But now he encounters a dilemma.

He said – “I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon”

Angels were not worthy!

Even the Archangels were unworthy!

All Heavenly powers stood silent!

The Prophet’s of old were not worthy!

The Lord’s Apostles were not worthy!

Among all of the Saint’s, no one worthy was found!

All of Heaven itself becomes silent and unable at the indescribable task of breaking each of the seven seals of this scroll.

As they searched through Heaven and Earth and found no one worthy, John’s heart began to break, and tears began to flow…

Then, one of the Elders said hang on John! There is ONE WHO IS WORTHY!

The Elder said look John…. “One has prevailed” “One has conquered”

– gained the victory.

Christ’s past victory over all the powers of darkness entitles Him the ability and the power to break the seals of the scroll!

Jesus describes supremacy is seen in: 

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

………Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

II. The Lamb Is Worthy Because Of His Sinlessness verse 5

verse 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus was “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

As Jesus faced temptation in Matthew 4:1-11, Satan surely thought Jesus would fall, falling hard. He did not! He faced the temptation and remained sinless!

The elder tells John that “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David hath prevailed…not only did He prevail to open the book, He prevailed over sin!!

“Lion of the tribe of Judah”,

In Genesis 49, the Jews are promised that a great ruler will arise out of Judah. Like a lion, He will be powerful, strong, brave, and a mighty conqueror.

“The Root of David”. This title reflects both the humanity and the deity of the Messiah.

When Jesus arrived, He was not what the Jews had expected and as a result they rejected Him John 1:11 “He came unto His own & His own received Him not”

Instead of delivering the Jews and establishing His Kingdom on Earth, Christ came preaching and performing miracles.

Thus, they rejected Him as

“The Lion of The Tribe of Judah” and “The Root of David”

Though the Jews did not accept Christ as Messiah, He was that “Sinless” sacrifice sent by God to redeem mankind! – 

1 Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers: 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

If He had not been sinless, He would not have been the Messiah, If He had not been the Messiah, He would not be worthy to open any one of the seven seals.

PRAISE GOD HE IS SINLLESS! HE IS THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH! HE IS THE ROOT OF DAVID! HE IS THE MESSIAH AND HE IS WORTHY!!!!

III. The Lamb Is Worthy Because Of His Submission verse 6a

Verse 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain,

Here we see Christ pictured as a Lamb that had been slain.

This Holy Lamb of God was a willing sacrifice for our sins! – 1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us:

In most instances throughout the New Testament you will find the word “Amnos”,

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g286/kjv/tr/0-1/

but here in Revelation chapter 5 we find the word “Arnion”.

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g721/kjv/tr/0-1/

I draw your attention to the distinction of these words to further paint the picture of what John saw…..

He did not just see an ‘amnos’ a lamb, he saw an ‘arnion’ … a “little pet lamb”

Consider this differentiation very carefully:

The Elder tells John to behold the “LION” of the tribe of Judah,

John was expecting a vigorously healthy, strong and mighty conquering lion and he turns and sees this little ‘arnion,’ this little pet lamb.

In Exodus 12, we see the people of Israel instructed to:

1) Select a perfect lamb, one without blemish and without spot.

2) Take that lamb into their home and nourish it and care for it for a number of days

3) During that time, that little lamb became like a pet lamb to that family.

After a certain period of time they were to:

a) Take that lamb and kill it

b) Apply its blood to the doorposts of their home

c) Roast the body and eat it.

If the people obeyed this command, they would be spared when the Lord came to judge the Egyptians.

This Passover lamb was a picture of how God would judge His only Son at Calvary.

This submissive lamb came into a world which would hate, reject and crucify Him. God placed His only Son on that cross in my place so that I could go free!

The Lamb of God was slain and died so that we might live!!

When it is all said and done,

When I ponder the depth of this imponderable statement,

I never could quite bring myself to understand ….

Why a king would leave His throne

For the sake of both his very best friends and his very worst enemies

To dawn the robe of an earthly man

And feel the pain of flesh and bone

Then to trod that lonely path

That lead to Calvary

But whether I am his very best friend or his very worst enemy,

This statement is inescapably and immutably true ….

But those blood red stains broke all my chains

So that I, being the best of friends or the worst of enemies, could still go free

This “little, pet Lamb” won the victory

and because of that, He is absolutely worthy to take the book.

A great illustration of Christ’s Submission is found in Matthew 26:38-42

IV. Christ Is Worthy Because Of His Sacrifice verses 6 and 9

v6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

v9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Jesus purchased the victory on the cross

– John 19:30 when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “it is finished”: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.

This Lamb that was slain, was slain for us!

This was prophesied in Isaiah 53:4-5 

Surely, he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

This Lamb in verse 6 still bears the marks of having been slain – When we see Jesus in Heaven, we will yet still see the marks of His suffering in His body.

For all eternity, Jesus will bear the wounds of the cross as a constant reminder of what He did for us.

There will be no room for pride in Heaven!

No one will be able to brag about how he got there. When we see Him, we will see His love on permanent display.

And we will say WORTHY IS THE LAMB!!!

The Lamb Is Worthy Because Of His Sovereignty, Sinlessness, Submission, Sacrifice and FINALLY we see:

V. Christ Is Worthy Because Of His Success verses 9-10

v9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

This heavenly choir sang a “new” song! – Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation

What is the “success” of this lamb?

Take very careful and well considered notice that He is now “standing”

The Lamb is in Heaven not in a manger, not on a dusty road in Galilee, not on a ship in a storm.

He is not hanging in shame and agony on a cross.

He is not lying in a cold, sealed tomb.

He is where He deserves to be.

He is on the throne. He is glorified and exalted in Heaven!

When Jesus ascended, He “sat down” at the right hand of God, Hebrews 1:3.

He sat down because His work of redeeming sinners was complete. The Lamb is standing here because His work of delivering the earth is about to begin!

•Jesus brought Success Over Death Hell and The Grave

– Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Satan thought he had defeated Jesus when Jesus died on the cross.

Hell must have celebrated as the broken, bleeding, body of Jesus was removed from that cross and placed in that borrowed tomb.

For three days, the demons and devils of Hell must have dance in delight as they celebrated what they thought was Satan’s victory over the Lord Jesus Christ.

What Satan thought was his greatest victory was in fact his greatest defeat!

On that third day Christ rose from that Tomb to live forever more!!

Because of the Success of the Lamb, we have the Hope of Eternal Life!

i. The Lamb Is Worthy Because Of His Sovereignty

ii. The Lamb Is Worthy Because Of His Sinlessness

iii. The Lamb Is Worthy Because Of His Submission

iv. The Lamb Is Worthy Because Of His Sacrifice

v. The Lamb Is Worthy Because Of His Success

Worthy!

Worthy!

Worthy! The Lamb That Was Slain!

Holy! Holy! Holy! Is He ….

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, what a blessing to know that as a member of the Bride of Christ, I will be uniting my voice to sing this glorious new song with the 24 elders. Thank You that I have been redeemed by Your blood, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ my Savior. He alone is worthy of all my praise, honor, and glory, Holy! Holy! Holy! Is He ALONE! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! AMEN.

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