by Patrick Sawyer, Missional Living Pastor
Revelation 5
Valleydale Church just recently celebrated what we call Go Sunday. Go Sunday is the day where we release all of our following year’s short-term mission trips. This is one of my favorite Sundays, but when it comes to sending and going on mission trips all over the world, have you ever wondered why we go?
Why do we do we set aside lots of money for missions work all over the world?
Why do we develop church planting partnerships all over the world?
Why do we equip and encourage church members to live on mission where they live, work and play?
Why do we revitalize and replant churches across our community?
Why do we plan mission trips every year all over the world?
Why do we challenge and encourage church members to go on mission trips?
Why do we pray and hope that God would raise up people from our church to be sent all over the world for the sake of the gospel?
We Go because Jesus is alive and he is on the throne (Verses 1-7):
“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.” 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.”
As John is giving a vision from heaven he sees angels who cannot find anyone worthy to open up the scrolls. What are these scrolls? Basically, if these scrolls are not opened all the promises of the Bible are not true and will not come to be.
Vern Poythress states, “the destiny of John, of the church and of the universe itself hangs in the balance over the question of whether someone can open the scroll.” (1)
William Hendrickson states, “if the scroll is not opened it means that there will be no protection for God’s children in the hours of bitter trial; no judgments upon a persecuting world; no ultimate triumph for believers; no new heaven and earth; no future Inheritance.” (2)
In verse 5, John is told not to worry because the Lion, tribe of Judah, Root of David is worthy to open up the scrolls. In verse 6, John also sees a Lamb that had been slain. What does the Lion of Judah, Root of David and the slain Lamb have in common? They all point to one person, Jesus.
Genesis 3:15: After Adam and Eve sinned against God and brought sin into the world, God comes and promises them that he would one day send a savior…a Messiah who would come and save the world.
Genesis 49: The Bible tells us the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah.
Isaiah 11: The Bible tells us the Messiah would come from the line of David.
John 1: John the Baptist sees Jesus and then says there is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
These verses are revealing to us that Jesus is the Messiah that God promised back in Genesis 3:15. Notice how John describes this slain lamb:
He was standing - points to his resurrection
Has Conquered - Jesus was victorious, triumph, prevail, or overcome…. over sin, death and His enemies through his death and resurrection.
He has seven horns - Horns are a symbol of power and seven is a symbol for completion so Jesus has complete power and complete rule
He takes the scroll from the right hand of God, which means Jesus has all control and authority.
This slain Lamb, who was standing and who takes the scroll, reveals that Jesus, who died on the cross did not stay dead, but rose from the grave proving He is the Messiah that atoned for our sins. And because he is worthy to take and open the scroll, reveals that he has all authority and is on the throne ruling the world. Here is the truth, church. If Jesus had come and claimed to be the Messiah and died and is still dead today, then he would have been like any other false prophet who have ever claimed to be the Messiah, and we have no hope. If Jesus is still dead, then we are out in the world preaching a false gospel that has no power to save.
But!
If Jesus did come, and we know He did, and claimed to be the Messiah, and we know He did, and if he died, and we know He did, and if he did not stay dead, but rose from the grave and is on the throne today, and we know He is, then this changes everything.
First, if Jesus is alive and on the throne then we must believe every word in Scripture. We must believe that God created us to have a relationship with Him, but sin has caused us to rebel against Him. God, in His love and mercy, sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross and rose from the dead for our sins so that we can be reconciled back to a relationship with God.
Second, if Jesus is alive and on the throne then we have hope. When we look at this evil and wicked world, we can know that Jesus is alive and on the throne, and he is in control and everything will be okay.
Third, if Jesus is alive and on the throne we have a message and a mission. In Matthew 28, Jesus gave us the Great Commission, which states that all “authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me so go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son and in the name of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold I am with you until the end of the ages.” Why were the disciples all willing to die to get the gospel to the world? It was because they saw the risen Jesus and they believed he was the true Messiah and that the only way people can be saved is through the blood of Jesus Christ and so this caused them to have a passion and a desire to get this true message to a world that desperately needed to hear the gospel. Nothing would stand in their way! No amount of suffering and persecution was going to stand in their way! Church, we have a message of hope and salvation, and we must have a passion and a desire to take this message of hope and salvation to a world that needs to hear it because Scripture tells us the only way people can believe and be saved is through the preaching of the gospel. So we must be willing to sacrifice our time, money and even our lives for the sake of the gospel.
Fourth, if Jesus is alive and on the throne then the church cannot be stopped. In Matthew 16, Jesus stated that he will build his church and the gates of hell shall not prevail. Jesus is basically telling us He will build His kingdom and Satan, hell and/or the wicked world cannot stop it. The world can hate Jesus, hate us, mock us and persecute us, but they cannot stop us because they cannot stop the gospel because they cannot stop Jesus.
We Go because Jesus deserves and desires our Worship (Verses 8-14)
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.”
Notice in these verses, as Jesus, the slain Lamb takes the scroll, notice what the elders, the angels and the creatures start to do? They start to sing:
“worthy are you to take the scrolls and open its seals
“Your blood has ransomed people from all tribes and peoples and nations and languages”
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain”
“they bowed down and worshipped”
Imagine this scene in heaven. All of heaven sees the slain lamb take the scroll, revealing there is hope in that Jesus is alive and on the throne, and as they see this they respond with prayer and singing. Ultimately, they responded in awe and worship! Because of what Jesus has done through his death on the cross he has redeemed people from every tongue, nation and peoples, and He deserves their worship and he deserves our worship.
Listen to what John Piper says in Let The Nations Be Glad. (3) “Missions exists because worship does not. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore is the fuel and goal of missions.” (4)
We see this all through Scripture. God deserves and desires for the nations to praise and worship
King Jesus.
Psalm 67:3 “Let the peoples praise you, O God let all the peoples praise you!”
Psalm 86:9 “all the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name”
Revelation 7:9-10 “After this I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, andcrying out with a loud voice salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne”
Church, if Jesus came and died on for our sins, rose from the dead and is alive and on the throne, then does he not deserve our worship? If Jesus is the only one who can save us, satisfy us and give us true peace and hope then should he not deserve our worship? Does he not deserve the world to worship him? Church, this is how much Jesus loves the world and desires the world to worship him. Jesus desires the world to know him and worship him so much that he came and died on the cross to save the world and redeem the world so the world can know Him and have a relationship with him and worship him. Jesus desires the world to know him and worship him so much that he commands and sends out his people with his presence and his power through the Spirit to take the gospel so those can hear the gospel, believe the gospel, be saved and be reconciled back to a relationship with God.
If Jesus has this much desire for the nations to know him and worship him should we not have this same desire and be obedient to go and take the gospel to a lost and dying world so they can know him, experience him and worship Him? If the gospel is so good then don’t we want others to experience the gospel? If Jesus is so good don’t we want others to experience him? This is why we go. We go because we know that when we experience Jesus we will never be the same. We go because we know that only Jesus can save us, forgive us and reconcile us back to a relationship with God so that we can truly worship Him for which we were created.
1 Vern S. Poythress, The Returning King: A Guide to the book of Revelation (Phillipsburg, NY: P&R Publishing, 2000), 109.
2 William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academics, 1967), 89.
3 John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academics, 2010).
4 Ibid.,15.