Sermon
#1374 Miscellaneous
Notes
Title: THE
LAMB, THE LION, THE LORD
Text: Revelation 5:1-14
Subject: John’s Vision of Christ
Date:
Tape #
Introduction:
Everything
in the Bible is built upon, centers in, and points to a Lamb. In the Old
Testament, the hope of
In
a word, all the blessings of mercy and grace from God symbolically flowed to
the people through the blood of a lamb. That Lamb that was pointed to and
represented by the typical worship of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, our Substitute. When John the Baptist saw
Christ coming toward him, he pointed his disciples to him and said, "Look,
here he comes, the One promised, typified, and hoped for, the One upon whom we
trust, the One I have been telling you about, `Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!'"
From the beginning,
the only way sinful men could approach the holy God was through the blood of a
slain lamb. They had to bring the blood of an innocent
victim, offered as a sacrifice to God. That innocent lamb was a picture of
Christ, the Lamb of God, who died the Just for the unjust that he might bring us to God (Gen. 4:4; Ex. 29:38-39; Lev. 1-8;
16:5-10). Yet, all the blood of those innocent victims offered upon Jewish
altars, day after day and year after year, could never take away sin. They did
nothing to appease the wrath of God. They did nothing to change the sinner.
Not
all the blood of beasts,
On
Jewish altars slain,
Could
give the guilty conscience peace,
Or
wash away the stain.
But
Christ, the heavenly Lamb,
Takes
all our sins away,
A
sacrifice of nobler name
And
richer blood than they!
Those
Old Testament sacrifices simply taught one lesson which God always kept before
men: Sinful men cannot approach God in his holiness without a blood sacrifice.
They pointed men to Christ, the Lamb of God.
As fallen man cannot
approach the holy God without a blood sacrifice, even so, the holy Lord God
will not approach fallen man, but through the blood of a sin-atoning Lamb.
God always deals with men through the Lamb. Judgment comes upon those who
despise the Lamb; and mercy is bestowed upon those who trust the Lamb. This was
clearly set forth in the sacrifice of the paschal lamb, which was a type of
Christ (Ex.
The same thing is true
with regard to eternity. In heaven's eternal glory, the central figure is the
Lamb of God. When John was called up into heaven to
behold things from heaven's vantage point, he said, "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” (v. 6). Then he saw all the hosts of
God's elect, both of men and of angels, falling down before the Lamb, crying in
unison, "Worthy is the Lamb!"
Jesus
Christ, in his sacrificial character as the Lamb of God, is the center of all
things, the ruler of all things, and the prominent object of all true faith and
worship. He is not the only object of faith and worship. We are trinitarians.
We worship the Father and the Spirit, as well as the Son (1 John 5:7); but the
triune God has given all preeminence to Christ, the Son, so that we worship the
Father, the Son, and the Spirit only through Christ, the mediatorial Lamb.
I.
THE
PERCEPTION OF THE LAMB –
How
did John see Christ? What condition was he in when he looked and beheld the
Lamb of God in his glory? If you will read verses 1-4, you will notice that
before the Lamb appeared, when there was no one found who was worthy to open
the book which was held in the hand of him that sat upon the throne, John said,
"I wept much."
Commenting
on this fact, C.H. Spurgeon said,
"By weeping eyes the Lamb of God is best seen...Eyes washed by repentance
are best able to see those blessed truths which shine forth from our incarnate
God, the bearer of our sins. Free grace and dying love are most appreciated by
the mourners in
David
said much the same thing. "I sought
the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto
him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed" (Psa.
34:4-5).
The
Lamb of God must be revealed before he can be seen; but he is revealed to all
who look to him. So look to him, that he may be revealed. Seeing him, you will
weep over your sins (Zech.
And
seeing him through the watery eyes of repentance, ask for grace that you may,
by the Spirit of God, see him clearly, perceiving by faith who
he is and what he has done for you.
II.
THE
PERSONALITY OF THE LAMB –
Christ's
worthiness to receive all honor, worship, and praise is to be seen primarily in
the greatness and glory of his Person and work. He is worthy, because of who he is and what he has done. "We love him, because he
first loved us" (1 John
Yet,
above all else, we love him for himself. "Unto
you therefore which believe he is precious" (1 Pet. 2:7). Who is the
Lord Jesus Christ? He is God our Savior, and a man like us. He is God and man
in one glorious Person. Notice how the elder in verse 5 described him to John.
A.
The
Lamb of God is "The Lion of the
tribe of Juda."
This
speaks of the dignity of Christ's office as our King and the majesty of his
Person as our Lord. According to the flesh, Christ came from the tribe of
Like
a lion, he is great in strength. He is the mighty God, the able Savior, the strong Deliverer. He is an effectual Redeemer, an
almighty Protector, a powerful Avenger. There is no
lack of power and strength in our Savior. We may trust him with implicit
confidence.
Like
a lion, he is also bold and courageous. He engaged Satan, the enemy of our
souls, with lion-like boldness, defeating him and the powers of darkness with
unflinching courage.
Christ
our Savior is full of irresistible power! He has a lion's heart and a lion's
strength. He comes forth conquering and to conquer.
Yet,
(And here is a great wonder.), to redeem us from the curse of the law, this
Lion became a Lamb led forth to the slaughter!
B.
This
Lamb is "the Root of David."
In
his humanity, Christ is the Son of David (Isa.
In
the same sense, Christ is the Root from whom all God's elect spring. We derive
our life from him. We live by virtue of his life (John 15:1-8).
C.
Christ,
the Lamb of God, is a mighty Conqueror.
He
"hath
prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof." On
the cross, the Lion of Judah, the Root of David conquered Satan, death, and
hell. Prevailing over his enemies and ours, Christ Jesus earned the right to
rule the universe according to the purpose of God (John 17:2).
This
book (vv. 1-5) is the book of God's eternal decrees. It represents God's eternal
plan and purpose of grace, his purpose of predestination, which includes all
things. As a Prophet, Christ opens, reveals, and fulfills all the decrees of
God. He explains everything.
The
Lamb is the Key to every secret. Apart from faith in Christ, the Lamb of God,
nothing of God's purposes can be known; but to those who believe everything is
as plain as day. Nothing is hidden from them that believe (John
III.
THE
POSITION OF THE LAMB –
"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" (v. 6).
The
Lamb is in the midst of the throne. He is perfectly at home in the midst of
God's dazzling, unapproachable glory, because he is himself God. The glory of
God, radiating from that throne, is his very own. Jesus is God!
The
Lamb who was slain for our sins is himself the almighty God! The Lamb that was
slain is the Mediator between God and men. As stated before, it is only through
Christ as our Mediator that God comes to man and man comes to God. Were it not
for the Lamb in the midst of the throne, no creature could ever draw near that
throne; but because of him, the saints in heaven are as comfortable as he is
there! Even while upon the earth, we should be comfortable
and at ease at the throne of God, if Christ is our Mediator (Heb.
The
Lamb in the midst of the throne is the center of all. The Lamb, the Lord Jesus
Christ, is the center of that blessed circle of holy fellowship between God,
his people, and the holy angels. As in the church below, so in the church
above, "Christ is all!"
In
heaven's glory, we see all things meeting in Christ the Lamb. Christ is the
summing up of all existence. In him, God and man, angels and men, the spiritual
and the material are united. All things find fulfilment in Christ. The Lamb in
the midst of the throne is the center of all. In the picture before us, it
appears that everyone in heaven looks to him.
·
The Father's eyes are always upon the
Lamb.
·
The eyes of the four living creatures,
God's preachers, are always on the Lamb.
·
The elders, the angels, and all the
forces of nature are turned toward the Lamb.
·
Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God is the
center of all love, thought, action, and praise in the glory-land! --
Everything revolves around and rallies to the Lamb.
IV.
THE
PERFORMANCE OF THE LAMB –
Around
the throne of God, in heaven, they never cease to speak of the wonderful works
of Christ, the Lamb of God (vv. 7-10).
7.
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the
throne.
8.
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders
fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials
full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
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;
10.
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the
earth. (Revelation 5:7-10 AV)
It
is in his character as a Lamb, our Mediator and Substitute, that Christ takes
the book of God's eternal decrees and makes it known.
·
He took the book in the covenant of grace
into his hands.
·
He fulfills all that is written in the
book by his obedience and death as our Substitute, and by his providential rule
and disposition of all things.
·
He opens and reveals the contents of the
book by his Spirit through the gospel.
A.
This
spotless Lamb was slain as a sin-atoning sacrifice for God's elect.
He
was slain by the sword of divine justice under the wrath of almighty God. Thus,
he effectually redeemed his people from the curse of the law.
B.
Be sure you do not miss the doctrine of
verse 9 - The death of Christ was an
effectual atonement for sin -
"Thou hast redeemed us" (Heb.
This
atonement was made and this redemption was accomplished for a particular people
- "Us, out of (not along with) every kindred, and tongue, and people, and
nation" (Isa. 53:8).
C.
Sending
forth his Spirit in almighty, saving grace, by virtue of his redeeming work,
the Lamb of God has made us (all believers) kings and priests unto God.
1.
As kings, believers rule themselves and
their circumstances by the grace of God. Neither the passions of the flesh, nor
the circumstances of life have dominion over God's saints.
2.
As priests, God's saints draw near to
him, confessing sin, worshipping, and serving him by the blood of Christ.
We
do business directly with God in the holy place through the mediation of Christ
(Heb.
Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of
Jesus, By a new and living way, which
he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And [having] an high priest over the house
of God; Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22 AV)
We
need no other priest but Christ! As kings and priests unto God, we shall reign
with Christ forever when he makes all things new.
V.
THE
PRAISE OF THE LAMB –
Jesus
Christ is the Lamb of God. He appeared in that character in the covenant of
grace. He lived and died in that character in time. He reigns in that character
forever. And he is universally adored in that character.
A.
The
praise of the Lamb begins with the
B.
The
angels of God unite with the redeemed in the praise and adoration of the Lamb
(vv. 11-12).
And
I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the
beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and
blessing. (Revelation 5:11-12 AV)
They
worship the Lamb as the sin-atoning Savior of men, because they have learned
the wonders of redemption from redeemed sinners (Eph. 3:8-11).
Unto
me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I
should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all [men] see what [is] the
fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid
in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the
principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God, According to
the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: (Ephesians 3:8-11 AV)
C.
At
last, the entire universe shall praise, honor, and extol the Lamb of God for
his glorious work of redemption (vv. 13-14; Ps.
76:10; Pro. 16:4).
And
every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and
such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power, [be] unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And
the four beasts said, Amen. And the four [and] twenty elders fell down and
worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
(Revelation 5:13-14 AV)
Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee:
the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
(Psalms 76:10 AV)
The LORD hath made all [things] for himself:
yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
(Proverbs 16:4 AV)
He
who made all things shall have the praise of all things (Phil. 2:9-11). All
things shall, in the end, be found to the praise, honor, and glory of our God,
the Lamb (Rom.
AMEN.