Good Friday: Worthy Is The Lamb

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WORTHY IS THE LAMB

Revelation 5:6-14 (ESV)
6  And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
7  And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated 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, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9  And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10  and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
11  Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,
12  saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
13  And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
14  And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. 

We are gathered here tonight to celebrate the most significant work that Jesus accomplished for us when He came more than two thousand years ago. This work took place when He sacrificed Himself at the cross. Allow me to quote the words of Rev. Wallie A. Criswell from one of his sermons entitled, "Christ Died for Our Sins:" 

"The whole story of the whole Bible is the story of Jesus, and the story of Jesus centers around the day of His Cross. It is the scarlet thread that binds the ages together and to Him. There is no pardon without atonement. There is no remission without shedding of blood. There is no reconciliation without payment of debt. Not by the purity and holiness of His life, but by His stripes we are healed."  

I know many who appreciate the teachings of Jesus want to see him as the most excellent teacher who has walked on earth. There are also others would like to promote his righteousness and holiness, and they want to make Him the best example for human morality. However, the fact is that our Gospel as believers of Jesus Christ does not lie on other accomplishments besides His crucifixion and resurrection. As Rev. W.A. Criswell had said, "There is no pardon without atonement. There is no remission without shedding of blood. There is no reconciliation without payment of debt."

This evening, as we study God's Word together, I would like us to revisit this truth to have a deeper appreciation for what He did for us. Our main text gives us a glimpse of heaven. You see, after Jesus finished His work of salavtion, He returned to heaven, sat at the right hand of God, and is now the object of glorious praise coming from the elders and angels. All of them were singing what is considered the redemption song (v. 12):

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" 

Out of this statement, the main question for us is: What makes Him a Worthy Lamb to receive all these praises? I'm thinking if we are going to heaven and we too will be singing these words to Jesus Christ, we better know the reasons why He truly deserves these praises. So, allow me to enumerate at least four bases of His worthiness:

I HE WAS A PURE SACRIFICE

As we begin our study, I would like to start with some context for our passage. If you are familiar with the book of Revelation, the first three chapters allow us to see a depiction of the church age until the time it's going to be the raptured. They talk about John, who was the last apostle alive who was given a vision of Jesus Christ as a judge (1:1-20) and His message to the seven churches of how He was about to deal with them. When you reach chapter four, there will be a transition to what will happen during the Great Tribulation Period, which is about seven years. 

Coming to chapter 5, now, Jesus will appear as the only one who is worthy to judge the world for their sins, and He will break the seven seals, which will be the first seven judgments during the seven years tribulation period. Before we go further, it would be helpful to explain who were the twenty-four elders mentioned in the passage. It is really hard for us to be sure about who they are, but many commentators believe that they refer to 24 Old Testament saints or 24 elders who represent the church after they had been raptured. So, either of the two groups can be an acceptable answer.

In the text, the main question is: What makes Jesus a worthy lamb? The first one is an essential requirement for all the lambs offered as a sacrifice for sin back in the Old Testament. Here a good example:

Leviticus 1:3-4 (ESV) 

 3 "If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. 

 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 

If you notice, especially in verse 3, the very first requirement for animals being sacrificed was, "he shall offer a male without blemish." In other words, back then, they were not allowed to offer animals with diseases or deformities. The lamb must be without any flaw but perfect.

This requirement is definitely significant to demonstrate the necessity of a sinless life in the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ. Only a sinless life can satisfy God's righteous demands for justice. It is evident in the Bible that when Jesus went to the cross, He was crucified in place of all sinners; He was the one who took the punishment for all the sins of the world. The prophet Isaiah declared this truth:

Isaiah 53:5-6 (ESV) 

 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 

 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

Notice, His death was for "our transgressions," "our iniquities," and "by his wounds we are healed." All these statements would not have been possible if He was not a pure sacrifice for sins. The apostle Paul summarizes this teaching by saying:

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Again, it was absolutely necessary that He who knew no sin would take the place of sinners. 

II HE WAS A POWERFUL SACRIFICE

The second truth about Jesus as a Worthy Lamb comes from the fact that He was the Son of God who became the sacrifice for our sins. I believe this truth is directly referred to in our passage:

Revelation 5:1-5 (ESV) 

 1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 

 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" 

 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 

 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 

 5 And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." 

The passage begins with God holding a scroll with seven seals. And then John heard a mighty angel asked the question, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" With this question, no one was initially found qualified to break the seal, which led John to be really concerned to the extent that he burst into crying loudly. While he was crying, one of the elders came and told him that he should stop crying because the one who is worthy to break the seals already came. Notice his descriptions found in verse 5 – "the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." 

The title "Lion of Judah" is essential because it drives the truth about the powerful sacrifice. The gentle lamb was the Lion of Judah. And as the Lion, He was the King who now has the authority to judge sinners during the great tribulation period. 

Going back to our redemption, it is also necessary that God Himself becomes the Lamb who will provide our salvation. You know why? It is because only God can produce the kind of life that can last for eternity. Here is a great verse to support this truth:  

Hebrews 7:25 (ESV) 

 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 

Don't miss the phrase; "he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him." In the NASB Version, this statement reads, "he is also able to save forever . . ." You see, only Jesus as the Son of God is capable of providing a life in heaven that will last forever and ever. 

III HE WAS A PASSIONATE SACRIFICE

For this third truth, I would like to use the word passion for the word love. And this truth could be drawn from the life of Abraham when the Lord asked him to sacrifice his one and only son, Isaac:

Genesis 22:2 (ESV) 

 2 He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

We all know that for Abraham, God asked him to offer Isaac as his burnt offering on Mount Moriah to test him of his love for God. However, there is another side to this story. Abraham will demonstrate the love of the Father in offering His one and only Son to be the sacrifice for sin. In the New Testament, two verses bear this truth:

John 3:16 (ESV) 

16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Romans 5:8 (ESV) 

 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

What makes the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross special is the Father's willingness to give up His one and only Son so that He can save us. Both of these verses show that the Father did it to show His great love for humanity. Dr. David Jeremiah has said these words about this truth:

Saving us is the greatest and most concrete demonstration of God's love, the definitive display of His grace throughout time and eternity. 

You know, so many times when we are going through some storms in life, Satan loves to instill doubts in our hearts by telling us that God does not love us or care about us. I trust every time we are tempted to question God's love; we can always go to the cross and be reminded that we are the objects of so much love that made the cross possible. If He can love us while we are still sinners, how much more today when we are His children. 

IV HE WAS A PURPOSEFUL SACRIFICE

Lastly, I also wanted to emphasize that Christ's death on the cross was not accidental; it was providential and purposeful. You might be surprised to hear that some people think that death was not part of His plan. It was simply an unfortunate tragedy that He ended up being killed by His enemies. 

This idea, of course, is far from the truth. The fact is that it was even ordained before the foundation of the world that the Lamb of God would be killed.

Revelation 13:8 (ESV) 

 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 

When you read these words in Revelation 13:8, you don't get an explanation on why the Lamb of God would be killed. You have to fast forward to the time Jesus was about to start His earthly ministry. As He was going to John the Baptist to be baptized, John made this public announcement with regards to the ultimate purpose of His death.

John 1:29 (ESV) 

 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 

Unlike many of us who would do everything to avoid death, he chose to die because He wanted to take away the world's greatest problem, which is sin. No wonder death on the cross was such a violent death because it was really meant to illustrate how horrible sin is in destroying humankind. 

Having gone through this evening the worthiness of the Lamb that was slain for our sins, I pray that all of us have already applied the death of Jesus Christ into our lives by believing in Him and surrendering our lives to Him. Without these applications, we still can die in our sins and be punished in hell for eternity. On the other hand, if we already know Jesus, I pray that we will continue to grow deeper in our appreciation for the sacrifice that Jesus has done for us because, in the end, we will all be singing the same redemption song for eternity. Imagine this image in the text:

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 

 12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" 

 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" 

 14 And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped. 

Again, if you know Jesus today, you will definitely be a part of these heavenly creatures who will be worshipping the Lamb forever.  

-Dr. Jeremiah Lepasana