Gooding, David: 4 - The Worthiness of the Lamb

Let us read once again from the book of the Revelation and chapter five. The Book of the Revelation and chapter five. And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof? No one in the heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look thereon. And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look thereon. One of the elders saith unto me, Weep not, behold the line that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof. And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a lamb standing as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came, and he taketh it out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sing a new song saying, Worthy art thou to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests, and they reign on the earth. And I saw and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, saying with a great voice, worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Every created thing which is in the heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea and all things that are in them, heard I saying unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, forever and ever. And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped. In the pursuance of our general topic of the adoration of God, we have spent our last two weeks listening in to and observing the worship of the living creatures and of the four and twenty elders. We have found their worship to be not simply a general expression of the praise of God, but a response to a particular glory in the character of God. Namely, his character as the moral governor of the universe. It has been, therefore, a response to the character of God as governor and to the nature and principles of his government. Today we must spend one more week listening in to this glorious expression of worship. For if in chapter four the heavenly beings spell out the worthiness of the Creator, in chapter five the center of their worship moves to consider the Lamb of God and to his worthiness, and in particular to the worthiness of the Lamb of God to have placed in his hand all the finances of this world, and all the economic power of this world, and all the managerial responsibility for the leading companies and the smallest companies of this world. The worthiness of the Lamb to take over Earth's resources, its riches, to be the one who dictates the principles upon which the vast riches of this universe and all other universes shall be developed and exploited. The one who shall have the apportioning of the dividends of all the income of the universe. Not only the riches of the vast galaxies, but the riches of every individual's life and his personality and its potential. Not only to direct the material and aesthetic riches of the vast universe. Not worthy to receive the outcome of all those activities. To receive the honor and the glory of a spectacular universe, spectacularly run. We shall observe, I trust, as we listen into the worship of the four and twenty elders and presently hear the voices of every creature in creation, that we are not engaged in some escapist activity, building for ourselves within the recesses of our own minds a rosy picture of daydreams. We are talking of this little universe. We are in the context of the exceedingly vast problems that confront man still in knowing how to run our Earth. We are still in the context of a world that weeps for the folly and of the irrationality that keeps our world under the threat of cosmic violence. A world where brother struggles with brother, and some have and some have not. A world of tears and frustration. And therefore, so as to trace the flow of the thought that is moving the worship and the hope of the elders and the living creatures, let us just remind ourselves that when we broke off our study last week, we were considering the sentiments that were bowing their hearts to worship the Creator. Thou art worthy, they sing, for thou hast created all things, and for thy will they were and were created. As we listen to those words of joyous worship, we shall perceive that by their inner logic, they are simultaneously not only an expression of worship, but an appeal to God to assert the rationality of this universe. It was made by a creator. It was made for his pleasure primarily, and it can never work harmoniously until it fulfills the pleasure for which it was made. As we listen to their worship, we might find their worship searching our own hearts and motivation. There have been moments, have there not, when we thought that the world was made for us. There have been moments, even since we have been redeemed, that we thought our redemption was solely for our personal benefits and gratification. There have been moments when even our hopes of heaven have been largely colored by what I shall get out of it when I get there. Written into the very fiber of our being by original sin is Is that that dark dark thought fault. that has come into creation, that the creature imagines in his heart, even if he never says it with his lips, though he says it oftentimes with his life, that the goal of life is the creature's own personal satisfaction. But the universe made by a creator cannot run that way. It was made primarily for his pleasure and glory. Not until my little life and the whole of creation performs the function and purpose for which it is made, can this world know peace. Therefore, the worship of the elders is but a cry that God will eventually intervene. And if no other means suffice, then God the Creator must take to himself his great power and rid the ver- universe of those whose self-will and self-seeking destroy it. Did God rise up this very minute and do thus? I know not what ground of complaint any one of us should have. Let a man only be clever enough to make a car, or an airplane, or a computer, and you will find commonly that that man will insist that the car or the airplane or the computer goes exactly where he wants it to go. And if his mini miner takes it into its head to go five times out of ten where its owner wants it to go, but five times out of ten insists going against its maker's will and going where it will itself. The owner, in the last analysis, has no compunction about putting it on the scrap heap. There is an eternal scrap heap. But as we move into chapter five, we find that a question is exercising the hosts of heaven. There upon the throne sits the Almighty Creator, and in his hand a book. Whatever the contents of that closely written book, the effect of opening it, so we subsequently learn, the effect of undoing its seals and releasing its message, is to set loose in earth the judgments that eventually shall bring rebel man to his knees and restore the earth to its rightful governorship of God. What those judgments must be, we cannot now consider this morning. Their first stage will be simply the removal of God's restraint upon the wickedness of men. So that man self-seeking, becoming large and proud and issuing in over-ambitious schemes of aggression shall deluge our world with war. Then shall the results of man's self-seeking and his crude ambitions leading to war have all their terrible consequences unrestrained, leading to famine and disease and grisly death. And the kind of grisly death that awaits multitudes of men and women if God does not restrain the crude passions of men, now that men have their hands on the fundamental building blocks of creation. The kind of grisly death that could await our planet is all too painfully evident to all of us. Oh, what if God should lose his patience and let man's selfishness go unrestrained. It would not lead, as some people seem to think, to an immediate paradise. It could easily lead to an atomic hell. And a strong voice is heard proclaiming, who is worthy to take the book and to open its seals, and thus to release the judgments that shall eventually bring man in his rebellion to his knees, and restore the world to its rightful ownership. Who is worthy? You say, why all the fuss? Why bother to search for anybody? Is not the Almighty Creator himself worthy to do it and entitled to do it? Didn't he make it? Why should he not himself rise up and deal with the rebel world? He certainly has the right. But learn something about the character of God. We said it before, we'll say it again. God who sits on the throne of the universe is no vulgar tyrant. If and when it becomes necessary for God to judge our world, then God himself has established the principle that men will be judged by a man. Judgment will be by peer, as the lawyers say. The Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son. He who one day shall execute the final judgment shall be the man who walked our world and wept in our houses and traveled in our boats. It shall be the perfect man. Jesus Christ. God will not be slandered that he has acted the bully. It will be Jesus of Nazareth. Who will sit upon the great white throne, who was tempted in all points, like as we are, and overcame. But listen again, the cry that goes out is not, of course, who is able to take the book. But listen again, the cry that goes out is not, of course, who is able to take the book and loose the seals thereof. Why, if it came to pushing the appropriate button that should set in motion the atomic fusion that would destroy our planet. Any fool, I nearly said, any fool could press the button. The cry is not who is able to, but who is worthy to. What a staggering thing. The responsibility to take over the government of the universe. And in all justice to execute the judgments of God. Bring back a rebel world to God's sovereignty. Who is worthy to do it? For a while, none was found worthy, and John wept much because no one was found worthy. And that wasn't because John was particularly sentimental either. The sort of a world going on forever as it goes on now. The sort that God has made a marvelous universe, but somehow is incapable of getting it run as it should be run. To see nature in her labor pains, surrounded with blight and blast and mildew. To see human bodies racked and tortured with disease. And to see God's greatest experiment. The creation of creatures to whom God has had the courage to give free will. Brilliant stroke. Dazzling stroke of divine courage that God dare do it. Give to a creature free will. To watch it and see it apparently gone wrong and got out of control and ruining the very universe for which it was made. He would be near a fool who wouldn't shed a tear at the thought of the present frustration and sin continuing forever. One of the elders took John's hand and said, weep not. A solution has been found. One has overcome the problem. The lion of the tribe of Judah has overcome. And you will say, Mr. Preacher, tell us who that is. Why, obviously it is the Lord Jesus. You say, that's the trouble with the book of the Revelation. Never says things clearly. Why on earth didn't it say the Lord Jesus has overcome? And we should have known all what it meant. You say, that's the trouble with this difficult book at the end of the Bible. It's full of curious symbols, and very often the Bible doesn't tell you who the people are that are represented by the symbols. No, it doesn't. Perhaps that's not the right way to read it. Perhaps you're expected to know who it is. And so that the Holy Spirit doesn't say it is the Lord Jesus Christ that has overcome, we all know that. What the Holy Spirit is concerned to do is to wake your imagination to perceive who and what like this person is of whom we speak. Who is this Lord Jesus that has overcome? How shall I conceive of him? Well, if you would picture him, think of a lion. Think of that kingly beast, shaking the very jungle with his cry and roar. Doing every other animal in the jungle to fear. And you will have pictured something of the power and the royal dignity of Jesus Christ. We speak rightly of him, the lowly Jesus. Pray not, let us never forget his imperial majesty. Shall it be then that the answer is this, that one day the lion came out of his lair and roared. Every other human personality was so overcome that it cringed in the dust, unable to do anything else but to gibber. God could have used that, uh, solution, couldn't he? What use would it have been? Oh, in one sense, sir, your rebellion is no problem to God. Were he to put one little tiny bit of his power on, you would gibber in the ground like an idiot. God could get you to do his will. What use would it be? To cure the rebellion by destroying the very free will that you were trying to redeem. Indeed, should he please, the lion of the tribe of Judah has the power to dissolve our universe and start afresh. In some sense, that would be a very attractive situation, wouldn't it? Certainly it would demonstrate God's power. But then you'll see. There would be a sense, would it not, that if God were to choose to destroy our universe out of hand and start again, in some sense that would be a defeat. God is all powerful to create. We knew that. All powerful to destroy. We feared that. But not all attractive to win the heart and allegiance of men whom he made. Shall the devil prove himself more attractive, more wise in the eyes of men than God? Ah, some of you. Some of you knew the day when it seemed us, didn't you? That a world gone from God and openly blaspheming his name, and you found it more attractive than God. Great battle of the universe is can God, who was almighty to create, can he attract and win and win back the loyalty of his creature? So when John looks round to see the lamb of the tribe of, the lion of the tribe of Judah that has prevailed and overcome to solve this problem. He sees not a lion, but a lamb. Don't mistake the symbol. I say it reverently, it's no lamb with wobbly knees, bleating out a pu- few pathetic protests to a godless world. Don't be quite so wicked. Please. It is a lamb equipped with seven horns, which are the seven spirits of God gone out into all the world, still in possession of ultimate power. The seven eyes, which also are the spirits of God, are possessed of divine wisdom. See how he solves the problem. To win back men to God. And in redemption to rid nature of her curse. And bring it at last to fulfill the purpose that the creator had. He takes the book, the angels, with great relief. They have been watching these multi-million years, the progress of our planet, wondering and wondering what our answer God would find. Amazed at the experiments that God had the courage to do in creating a human race like us, and wondering what God would do to salvage it and bring it back, and with angelic relief and joy as they see the Lamb triumph and go forward and take the book, found worthy to do it. They begin their worship, and the living creatures join them, and the elders fall down with their incense, and the ground of his worth is this, for thou wast slain. For what mystery? Say, is that all that man's wisdom can do to invent a cross and a death by crucifixion? Say, is that a something to be proud of when you're finished and you've done it? A human form mangled on a cross. Hey. Is that God's son? Some of us will say we never thought that God could be like that. We thought he was a tyrant. We thought he was a divine bully boy. We discover in the cross of Jesus Christ what God is like. He would rather perish than we perish. And in that moment you will see the wisdom of those seven eyes, and you will perceive the power of those seven horns, for here is a power beyond nature's atomic, atomic power. Beyond the power of the mightiest archangel. This is the power of divine God. Of a God who made. A God who will be loyal to what he made. A God who is prepared to suffer for man's redemption. Oh, this is no fairy story. It has worked millions upon millions upon millions of times, it has worked, and admiring angels have seen it as prodigal after prodigal has come home and said to his father, I thought once that you were an old spoilsport. But father, I find you as you are. Make me... one of your servants. For he was not only slain, but his worthiness lies herein that he has brought men back to God. Not only brought them back to God and rescued them from the pangs of hell, but he has made them something. He has made them something for God. He has made them into men and women who will obey God and love to obey God. He has made them into a kingdom. And more so, they serve God not merely with the obedience of men that have been subdued. They serve him with all the grace of priests. Thou hast made them a priesthood, priests to our God, so that from now on they shall learn the art of living in God's universe and handling its resources, its riches, its power, and all that is delegated to them. As priests that have learned first to live for God, and then to live for their neighbor, and finally to enjoy the whole process themselves. And as the elders at their worship, says John, I heard the voice of everything. Creatures, inanimate and animate, expressing their profound release. Here is the secret where one day creation shall be released from her bondage to frustration, to serve God in her every department, under the hand of redeemed men and women who have been conquered by the Lamb of Calvary and turned into a kingdom of priests. Worthy is the Lamb. Rightly do we allow our hearts to be projected into that coming day when all shall be fulfilled and the victory be complete. But as we pass, does not there rise in our hearts one practical question? If the worthiness of the Lamb shall finally be seen in this, that he has redeemed men and made them obedient and made them as priests to live daily to God's pleasure, is it so that I am one of those redeemed? As I go forth into the home to handle my, into the world to handle my home, my money, my personality, my energy, my time, to pursue my ambitions. Say, would any angel examining me from afar this coming week fall down before God and say, how marvelous. Oh, perceive what a victory the Lamb of God has wrought in this life. See how he lives for the glory of God and God's pleasure and for the good of men. Oh, how worthy is Christ for having produced that result in that man's life. But my dear Christian friend, Christ is staking everything he has on his ability to do that with your life. Worthy the Lamb because he has made us a kingdom, priests to God. God grant that the vision of his purpose one day to be fulfilled shall begin to be translated into the practicalities of our lives.