(Read Revelation 4 and 5)
In order to help us reflect and ponder the wonder of Jesus and his cross as we prepare to receive the Lord’s Supper, I thought it would be fitting to have you turn your attention to Revelation chapter 5.
Bringing This Book Back Into Our Bibles
I am convinced that we need, basically, to bring this book back into our Bibles. At the start of this book, it gives a blessing to those who have read the whole thing out loud, but many of us have never done that. Of course, it is a challenging book full of symbolism, but it is the textbook to teach us what it means to worship God. The entire book is all about worshipping God and standing for him in evil days when our society wants to pull us away from the worship of the Triune God – that is a message that the church desperately needs to hear today. We need to rediscover this book – and we need to ask the question, the whole time through – what would all of this symbolism mean to the original recipients of this letter – these seven churches in Asia Minor?
Jesus in The Throne Room
Revelation chapter 4 gives us a magnificent picture of God’s throne room, and then Revelation chapter 5 focuses all of our attention on Jesus, at the centre of God’s throne room in the heavenly realm. On that throne is one seated with a scroll in his hand – a scroll with seven seals on it. And these seven seals represent God’s appointed periods of history as they unfold on the earth. These are times of both God’s judgment and his salvation – and it is only Jesus, the lionlike-lamb, who is worthy to open up these times and seasons.
The Lion-Lamb
This is the amazing and multifaceted imagery of Revelation: Jesus is seen here as a lion and a lamb. The Lion is one who conquers. Jesus has conquered sin, death, Satan, demons, and hell and he conquered them in the cross – and that victory was the victory of a king – all the hope that was wrapped up in king David and his kingly line was realized in the cross of Jesus, the ultimate king – the King of kings and the Lord of lords – the one coming on the clouds with power and glory.
For the original audience reading this in Asia Minor, this would have been a massive encouragement. The pains and headaches of a rag-tag, persecuted band of Christians are answered in the victorious death of Jesus, the Lion of Judah.
But right as we expect to see a lion coming into the centre of the throne room, what we actually see is a lamb who has been slain – a bloodied, slaughtered lamb. And the whole throng and host of elders and angels start praising this lamb, in the very same way that they were praising God himself in the same throne room earlier.
What is the main thrust of their praise? “You are worthy because you have purchased a people from all the people’s and tribes and tongues!”
A Purchased People
I love this word “purchased.” Your Bible may have the word ransomed, but the most basic sense here of this word is purchased. The lamb has paid the price for you in his very own blood. You have been bought. You are Jesus’ possession. His death has purchased your freedom and your hope and your joy. The transaction is already done. Your debt of sin is completely paid off – it’s not like a student loan or a mortgage that takes a few years to pay off. It’s a done deal – once and for all – and you can’t add to it or take away from it.
The Lamb’s Supper
This is a wonderful reminder as we turn to the Lord’s Supper – the Lamb’s Supper. We celebrate the victorious lion-lamb who is Jesus our Lord. And as we participate in this meal, we, in a very true and real way, are worshipping him in his throne room because he is worthy of all our praise.
So in a few moments, we will pass out bread, to symbolize the broken body of Jesus. Then we will pass out the juice – the fruit of the vine – to symbolize the blood of Jesus.
And this meal is for the people of the lamb. It for genuine believers who have placed their trust in Jesus and who have decided to follow Jesus in the way of the cross.
Another Marksism 