Sermon Tone Analysis

If you have ever gone through the process of getting to know someone, then you have had, what I believe is a universal conversation.

It is that universal conversation that lets you into, or gives you incite, as to the way that individual was raised.

That conversation ALWAYS goes, not just sometimes, ALWAYS goes exactly like this:

“I remember the time when I was a little boy/girl when my mother/father had told me that we were NEVER to go to X, or that we were NEVER to touch Y.

And being kids, we felt that warning was EXACTLY what we needed to do!

So we went to X, knowing that we weren’t suppose to, or we touched Y, knowing that we weren’t supposed to, and as we did it, we thought we were getting away with it when all of a sudden…(Pause for dramatic effect)…we looked up, and there was the ominous figure of mom/dad.

And we knew at that moment that we’d had it.

And usually the story ends with, ‘And we didn’t sit down for three whole days!’”

I don’t care who you are, if you are an adult, you’ve had that EXACT conversation.

You’ve probably told that precise story, and you’ve told that story WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE!

Here’s the irony in a story like that.

We tell a story about a moment in our lives when our parents, basically, terrorized us! (They) Spanked us, wounded us, hurt us, but when we tell that story, we tell it with a smile on our face, and without the slightest hint of blame toward the parent.

WHY?

Because we know they were ABSOLUTELY CORRECT in bringing the justice they brought to us in that instance.

And that the justice that they bough was not just correct, but that it was also warranted.

And beyond being correct and being warranted, it was necessary.

It was correct, it was warranted, it was necessary, AND it was completely consistent with their love for us.

NOT AT ALL inconsistent with their role as a father/mother, because we understand this balance between love and justice.

It’s unfortunate however, that, often times, we do not see this, or appreciate it, in our heavenly Father.

And because we do not see or appreciate it, I believe we do not have a full formed understand or appreciation for God’s worthiness to be worshiped.

But here in Revelation 5, we get a picture of that worthiness to be worshiped with the Lion, who is the Lamb, who IS worthy.

Worthy is the Lion and, “Worthy is the Lamb” !

Worthy is the Lion who brings JUSTICE and VENGEANCE!

Worthy is the Lamb who brings REDEMPTION for God’s ELECT.

We MUST have a full-orbed picture of who God is, of who Christ is if our worship is to be a deep and as meaningful as it is meant to be. - Voddie Bauchum

That is the picture we get here in this first half of Revelation 5; this picture of the Lion and the Lamb who is worthy.

He is worthy BECAUSE He is the Lion, BECAUSE He is the Lamb.

And there is NO hint or inconsistency between the two.

Revelation 5:1-5

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?” (It’s almost like a courtroom scene here) 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.”

Revelation 5:6-10

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.

(So we know now that the Lamb IS the Lion!)

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.”

AMEN!

What a POWERFUL passage of scripture!

The word pictures here are almost overwhelming.

There are several things necessary here for us to understand, if we are to understand the significance of this text.

The NATURE of the SCROLL.

What is the scroll?

Why is it SO important?

Possible interpretations:

It is synonomous with the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev.

3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12-15, 21:27).

Some are arguing that the scroll that only the Lamb can open is the Lamb’s Book of Life.

The problem with that is that the LBoL is a DIFFERENT book.

We know this because of Rev 20:12 “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.

Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.

And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.”

So the reference there is to a different scroll with the seals that we read about here.

Some say it’s reference to the future great tribulation.

It represents this period that is yet to come, this literal 7 year period known as “The Great Tribulation.”

The problem with that: The fact that in Rev 1:19 we read, “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.”

PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE.

What we find in theses scrolls are not JUST about future events.

What we find has to do with events that are ALREADY taking place in the time of writing.

So what DO we have here?

The fullness of God’s plan of judgment and redemption.

Why do I say this?

Well, because we see this idea of the sealed scroll in the prophetic literature that informs John’s writing.

We can see a lot of the writing of Daniel, Ezekiel, and parts of Isaiah here, but Daniel is reference more in Revelation than any other book.

In Daniel 7 and then in Daniel 12 we have references that illuminate this for us:

Listen to Daniel 7:9–10 (ESV): 9“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.

10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.

Ezekiel 2 shows another example of this.

There we see a court of judgment and the scrolls being opened.

Look at Ezekiel 2:8-10, 8“But you, son of man, hear what I say to you.

Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.

10 And he spread it before me.

And it had writing on the front and on the back, (This was unusual.

Most scrolls did NOT have writing on the front and back.

Here in Revelation, we have a scroll with writing on the front and the back.)

and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

So in Daniel we see what? (This book that is unsealed in a courtroom where judgment is about to be announced.

In Ezekiel 2 we see a scroll written on both sides.

What’s in the scroll?

(Lamentation and woe.)

In Isa. 29 we find a similar idea.

Here is Isa.

29:11-12, And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed.

When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”

Does anyone want to guess what the context of Isaiah 29 is?

It’s God bringing judgment upon His enemies.

So John, reaching back to this prophetic literature of the OT, this apocalyptic literature from the OT, has the picture of a scroll that is sealed, written on front and back, and is a scroll of judgment.

We also know this contextually, because when we move into Revelation 6 what do we find?

(WE FIND JUDGMENT and WOES!)

So this is a scroll of judgment, BUT there is another issue here.

This scroll that is sealed with 7 seals, hearkens to it’s particular day where documents were often brought into Roman courtrooms that were sealed with multiple seals.

Mainly, last will and testaments.

Why are they sealed?

(So one can ensure they have not been tampered with.