Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: Revelation 5:1-14

Date: 02/11/17 File name: Revelation_13c.wpd

ID Number:

Theme: He is worthy of all of our worship for all of eternity.

Jesus is exclusively worthy of our worship.

This is what Revelation 5:1-5 teaches us.

God holds a scroll telling the story of end-time events.

This includes the salvation of God’s people and the judgment of the wicked.

As King of kings, and Lord of lords, Jesus is exclusively worthy of our worship.

Jesus is also exceedingly worthy of our worship.

This is the focus of Revelation 5:5-10.

He is the only One found who is worthy to open the scroll and read it.

He is exceedingly worthy of our worship because Jesus outdoes, outmatches, outstrips, outclasses, surmounts, surpasses, transcends, and trumps any other person.

There is no one like Jesus.

There was never a time when He was not worthy, and never will there be a time when He is not worthy.

He is worthy of our worship.

This is the song of the ages.

Jesus is eternally worthy of our worship.

ILLUS.

In 1779 John Newton published what is probably the most recognizable hymn in the English-speaking world.

Jonathan Aitken, a Newton biographer, estimates that Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound is sung about 10 million times annually.

The last stanza of the hymn reminds us that after 10 millennium of singing praise to the Lamb that was slain, we will have just gotten started ...

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.

Praising God who sits on His throne, and the Christ who reigns with Him, will never get old.

III.

JESUS IS ETERNALLY WORTHY OF WORSHIP

“And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb.

Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.9

And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.

”11 Then i_ looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.

They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.

12 In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”13

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”14

The four living creatures said, “Amen, ” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

” (Revelation 5:8-14, NIV84)

1. as we enter the throne room we see heaven breaking out afresh in praise, and honor, and glory

a. 1st, it is for the One sitting on the throne — God, Himself

1) then, there is this ever-so-slight pause as someone worthy is sought out to open the scroll that announces the end of the world, the millennial kingdom, and ultimately, eternity

b. 2nd, the moment the Son takes the scroll from the Father’s hand, praise, and honor, and glory erupt once again in heaven

1) the Lion of Judah, who looks like a Lamb slain, has taken the book that He alone could open

a) immediately upon his receiving of the book the atmosphere of Heaven changes

b) weeping turns to singing

c) tragedy has become triumph

2) praise and rejoicing break out

a) the Four Living Creatures, and the twenty-four elders break forth in praise

b) the Angels, too numerous to count, break forth in praise

c) the Creatures in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and on the sea break forth in praise

c. the only ones who don’t join the cacophony of praise are the devil and his minions who tremble, and lost men who shall weep because they know their doom is sure

3. the scene before us is a picture of the character and nature of worship

A. HUMILITY AND REVERENCE WILL BE CENTRAL TO OUR ETERNAL WORSHIP

1. humility and reverence will characterize our worship in Heaven

a. in chapter four the Twenty-four Elders, who represent the redeemed of the Lord, fall down before God the Father

“Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever.

They lay their crowns before the throne and say:” (Revelation 4:9-10, NIV84)

b. in chapter five the Twenty-four Elders, offer the same worship to Christ that they did to the Father in Rev. 4:10

1) they prostrate themselves face down before the throne

“And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb "(Revelation 5:8, NIV84)

c. why is Jesus worthy of such adoration?

"... because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God... (Revelation 5:9, NIV84)

ILLUS.

It’s been almost 25 years since it premiered.

In 2004 Mel Gibson released his film The Passion of the Christ.

It depicts the last twelve hours of Jesus’ life on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem.

Many critics panned it.

What modern audience, after all, would watch a movie where the dialogue is in Aramaic, and you had to read the subtitles.

It was violent (yes, much of it was).

Some said it was anti-Semitic.

One critic wrote, "The graphic details of Jesus' torture make the movie tough to sit through and obscure whatever message it is trying to convey."

And yet the movie was hugely popular in America and around the world.

After watching it, I can remember thinking, “I’ll never read 1 Peter 2:24 the same way again.

”

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

” (1 Peter 2:24, NIV84)

1) what’s the point?

... how do we not fall prostrate in utter humility before the Lamb that was slain on our behalf?

2. in eternity we will regularly prostrate ourselves before the Lion who looks like a Lamb a. we will do so in humility and reverence for his redemptive grace

B. PRAYERS OF PRAISE WILL BE CENTRAL TO OUR ETERNAL WORSHIP

“And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb.

Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

(Revelation 5:8, NIV84)

1. I’ll be honest, I was tempted to skip over the “golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints” part of this verse

a. my first question is, “Are these the prayers of the saints in Heaven, or on Earth, or both?"

1) the consensus of New Testament scholarship is pretty much split

b. my second question of the text is, “Why do the saints in heaven need to pray at all?" after all, we will be in the very presence of the Lamb

1) I consulted over a dozen commentaries on this passage ... few were helpful, because most barely deal with that part of the passage

2) so when in doubt... cross reference!

2. Psalm 141:2 is helpful here: “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

” (Psalm 141:2, NIV84)

a. when in doubt, let Scripture help interpret Scripture!

b. on Earth there are three principle reasons for our prayers: confession (both confession of sin, and confession of faith), intercession (for both ourselves, and others), and worship (prayer that simply acknowledges God’s worth-ship)

1) in Psalm 141, David’s prayer is an act of worship that he likens to the smoke and sweet smell of incense wafting up to God

2) in connection with his prayers David lifts up his hands as a gesture of praise and sacrifice

c. the bowls of incense that represent the prayers of the saints in heaven represents our sacrifice of praise to God through all eternity

ILLUS.

Dr. Donald Barnhouse, (Presbyterian pastor and host of The Bible Study Hour) in his commentary on this passage, writes: “When we confess, we are occupied with our sins; when we intercede, we are occuped with human needs, others; and ours.

But when we worship, we are occupied with God alone.

They day will come when prayer will be emptied of its need for confession.

[There will be no more sin to confess].