Scripture reading: Revelation 5:1-5.

Sermon text: Revelation 5:6-14.

Many professions in America today require qualifications for admittance. To enter the profession, an application must complete some form of training or meet certain educational standards. One cannot practice these professions without the proper certification.

This fact is even more true in our spiritual lives. As Christians, we know we can boldly approach God’s throne through our prayers (Hebrews 4:16). However, not all people possess this right; only those who confess Jesus as Lord, believing God raised Him from the dead, can expect God to hear and answer those prayers.

Today’s passage from the Revelation reveals an even more exclusive qualification: “who is worthy?” St. John saw a scroll with the entirety of human history written on its front and back. He desperately wanted to know what the writing said. However, only One in all the universe, in all eternity, could open the scroll. Only the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah — Jesus Christ Himself — could open this scroll by breaking the seals. All of human history revolves around the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Following the glorious praise of chapter 4, St. John looked to the throne and saw that a scroll rested in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. The scroll contained writing on both sides, a rarity in ancient times. Most scrolls contained writing only on the inside of the scroll to protect it and to preserve privacy.

This isn’t the first occurrence of supernatural scrolls in Scripture. Ezekiel was given a scroll to eat so he could prophesy (Ezekiel chapters 2 and 3), and the prophet Zechariah saw a flying scroll in one of his visions (Zechariah 5). St. John will encounter another scroll in chapter 10; like Ezekiel, he will eat the scroll and prophesy its contents to God’s people. Many scholars believe the scroll mentioned here represented all future history from St. John’s vision forward. This scroll contained powerful knowledge, and St. John desired to see it opened.

There’s only one major problem with this scroll: No one in heaven can open it. St. John’s first audience would have understood this problem. In Roman law, a will was sealed with six wax blobs with different names of the person who sealed it; he alone, or his representative, could open the will. In this case, St. John heard an angel ask, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” Heaven filled with anticipation at the scroll’s contents. Unfortunately, “ no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.” Can you imagine St. John’s disappointment? Have you ever felt immense anticipation and excitement at an upcoming event, only to experience devastation when the event failed to happen? No wonder St. John wept openly in heaven!

Fortunately, the disappointment didn’t last long. An elder approached St. John with good news: “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.” Someone could open the scroll; someone could reveal the end of history. That Someone was “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.” In Genesis 39, Jacob called Judah a “lion’s cub.” The lion symbolized strength and royalty. The prophet Isaiah said of the Messiah, “In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10). The Lion and the Root — Jesus Christ, the Son of God — would break the seals. He could break the seals because He had “conquered” the worst enemies of creation, sin and death.

St. John looked and saw a “slain Lamb.” At least one ancient Christian author contrasted the Lamb here with the description of Satan as a “devouring lion” in 1 Peter 5:8. Unlike Satan, who attempts to devour everything in his obsession with power, Jesus willingly gave His life for creation’s redemption. Isaiah wrote of Jesus, the Messiah, “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. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:6-7).

Have you ever noticed how God works in unusual ways to advance His plan of salvation? Jesus’ sacrifice seemed worthless when He hung on the cross. If any plan looked like a failure, Jesus’ life was it. What difference did it make that He lived a perfect life? Did it matter that He healed the sick, raised the dead, and forgave sins? The Romans killed Him just as the Jewish leaders desired. This couldn’t have been the way God planned it — except that it was exactly as God planned it. Only the death of the Son of God could conquer sin and death. When Jesus died, death suffered the final defeat.

Therefore, when Jesus took the scroll in St. John’s vision, heaven erupted in praise! The creatures and elders threw themselves before Him, singing, “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, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Notice that Jesus’ victory didn’t apply only to the Jews, or only to the Greeks, or only to the Romans. Jesus’ blood “ransomed” people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” for the kingdom of God. This “ransom” was not paid to Satan; God owes Satan nothing at all. Satan is no better than a common thief and deserves nothing from our God. However, as we discussed on Wednesday night at New Hope, only the shedding of blood can atone for sins (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus’ blood paid the penalty for our sins, and everyone who believes in this payment receives the benefits of this payment.

Throughout Scripture, God told His people, both Jews and Christians, that He intended to make us a “kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6, 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6). Now, in heaven, we see the means by which God will accomplish this. God elevates us to a royal priesthood through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Son. All believers throughout all history, from every racial and ethnic group, will join together to reign on the earth for all eternity.

Notice that we will not spend eternity in heaven itself, but we will reign on a re-created earth. As we continue in the Revelation, we will witness the fulfillment of St. Peter’s prophecy that God will re-create the earth in fire (2 Peter 3). The earth that emerges will remain unstained by the taint of sin.

Then, we have our next glorious worship scene. St. John couldn’t even begin to count the numbers of participants. “Myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” sang a song praising Jesus for His sacrifice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” None other in heaven or in creation is worthy to receive the praise of Jesus Christ for His redemption of creation.

This praise demonstrates an important point about Jesus. If you’ll recall in chapter 4, all praise in heaven is directed to God. Even when He lived on earth, Jesus regularly received worship from those He touched in some way. He never told them, as angels always do in Scripture, to direct their worship to God. Here in heaven, the angels, elders, and saints direct this song, this praise to Jesus — and He accepts it as God, even as God Himself allows Him to do so. Jesus is God the Son. His divinity is unquestionable. His identity as the eternal God is confirmed throughout the book of Revelation.

Finally, all creation takes up the song of praise to Jesus Christ. “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!’ And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped.” St. Paul’s prophecy of Philippians 2 will witness its culmination in Revelation. All creation will proclaim Jesus as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Whenever we read the Revelation, we see the worship of God and His love for His Son, Jesus Christ. God the Father willingly allows praise for His Son. The God we worship, unity in Trinity, stands as the greatest focus of this book.

As such, we see that God should become and remain the greatest focus of our lives here on earth. We see that everything we do in life, every word we say, should bring glory to God. We should live in a manner that glorifies Jesus Christ for His sacrifice on our behalf.

You say, “well, eventually everyone will confess Jesus as Lord, so why does it matter how we live now?” Note that this confession will occur in one of two times. Everyone who confesses Him as Lord in this life will receive eternal life in a new creation beyond our imagining. When we confess Him willingly now and mold our lives around this confession, we receive the assurance of forgiveness of our sins and the promise of that eternal life.

Some, however, will refuse to confess Jesus as Lord in this life. They will live in the illusion that they exist as their own lord, not realizing that Satan the thief has deluded them. Everyone in this life serves one of 2 masters. Either Jesus is Lord, or Satan is lord. Those who refuse to confess Jesus as Lord in this life willingly (if ignorantly, perhaps) refuse to accept the blessings promised to all who submit to Jesus now.

Which will you choose? The illusion of reigning over your life now, or to reign with Christ for all eternity? Christ alone is worthy to rule over all creation. Christ alone is worthy to rule over your life. Confess Him now, and reign with Him for all eternity.