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May I turn in your Bibles to 
Revelation chapter 4? Revelation chapter 4. For several weeks we considered 
Revelation 2 and 3, the letters to the seven churches in Asia 
Minor. And having considered that, it 
is good for us to look at Revelation 4 and 5. We will not be going 
through the entire book, but Revelation 4 and 5 are the answer, 
the trials that the church faces in Revelation 2 and 3, very similar 
to what we see there in Psalm 2. The first scene, David says, 
why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? The 
first scene is man in defiance against the Lord and against 
his Christ. And then scene 2 shows us, as 
Walt Chantry says, the calm dignity of God's throne room. God is 
in the heavens. God knows what's going on. God 
is in sovereign control and God will hold the peoples in derision. Well, Revelation 4 and 5 serve 
in a very similar fashion. Remember that in chapters 2 and 
3, the various churches, there were lying apostles in the church 
in Ephesus. There was tribulation and poverty 
and imprisonment and death in Smyrna. The people in Pergamos 
or Pergamum were dwelling near Satan's throne and engaged in 
martyrdom. And there was also trial in the 
church in Philadelphia. So Revelation 4 and 5 is necessary, 
a necessary antidote or corrective or remedy so that we do not leave 
that section discouraged. God would always have us to turn 
our attention heavenward and to consider the divine response 
to man's sin. Revelation 4 and 5. I'll just 
pick up reading in 4.1. After these things I looked, 
and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice 
which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come 
up here, and I will show you things which must take place 
after this. Immediately I was in the Spirit, 
and behold, a throne sat in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And 
he who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance. 
And there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like 
an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four 
thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed 
in white robes, and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 
And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and 
voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which 
are the seven spirits of God. Before the throne there was a 
sea of glass like crystal, and in the midst of the throne and 
around the throne were four living creatures, full of eyes in front 
and in back. The first living creature was 
like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third 
living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living 
creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each 
having six wings, were full of eyes around and within, and they 
do not rest day or night saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, 
who was and is and is to come. Whenever the living creatures 
give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, 
who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down 
before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever 
and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You 
are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for 
You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were 
created. And I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne 
a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming 
with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose 
its seals? And no one in heaven or on the 
earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to 
look at it. So I wept much because no one 
was found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at 
it. But one of the elders said to me, Do not weep. Behold, the 
lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed 
to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. And I looked, 
and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living 
creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as though 
it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are 
the seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. that 
he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who 
sat on the throne. Now when he had taken the scroll, 
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down 
before the Lamb, each having a heart, and golden bowls full 
of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang 
a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open 
its seals, for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by 
your blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 
and have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign 
on the earth. Then I looked and I heard the 
voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures 
and the elders, and the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000, 
and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, worthy is 
the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and 
strength and honor and glory and blessing. 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, I heard say, 
Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be to him who sits 
on the throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever. Then the four 
living creatures said, Amen, and the twenty-four elders fell 
down and worshiped him who lives forever and ever." God in heaven, what a glorious 
picture, what a wonderful view that we have here of the throne 
room of God. We thank you for that calm dignity. 
We thank you for the obvious contrast between tribulation 
and trial on earth to the fact that Jesus Christ is overcome. 
Lord God Most High, we pray even now for Your Spirit that You 
would guide us and direct us in our consideration of these 
wonderful chapters and this glorious vision of the Son of God who 
saves His people from their sins. And we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, the whole scene takes place 
in heaven. We see that in chapter 4, verse 
1. After these things I looked, 
and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And in chapter 4, 
God is praised primarily for the work of creation. You notice 
there at the end of verse 11, or in verse 11, You are worthy, 
O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power For you created 
all things, and by your will they exist and were created." 
And then in chapter 5, God is praised again, but primarily 
in view is the work of redemption. Very specifically the work of 
our Lord Jesus Christ in redeeming us to God by His blood out of 
every tribe and tongue and people and nation. So it is a two-part 
vision The first deals with God the Creator, the second deals 
with God the Redeemer. We will not get into all of the 
details this evening, just make a few observations on Chapter 
4, and then a few observations on Chapter 5, and then some concluding 
thoughts. But notice first of all, as I 
mentioned, the context. You cannot miss that. It's absolutely 
crucial. We see the same pattern time 
in and time out throughout the scriptures. Jesus set it forth 
in John 16, 33. He says, in this world you will 
have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. 
Chapters 2 and 3 sets forth and identifies that tribulation. 
Chapters 4 and 5 usher us in. to the presence of Him who has 
overcome the world. J. Adams says that widespread 
persecution was breaking out everywhere. Greater still was 
yet in the offing. Lest there be doubt in any Christian's 
mind, the Savior graciously draws back the curtain of heaven, or 
to use the exact figure of the text, opens the door, and gives 
John a reassuring glimpse of the divine control and care. I love that. And in verse 1 of 
chapter 4, I do believe it is the Lord Jesus Christ. As we 
compare this with Revelation chapter 1, verse 10, it is Christ 
who brings John into the presence of God Almighty. Vern Poythress 
comments on the context here with four and five being the 
answer to chapters two and three. He says, when God's people are 
beset by temptation or persecution, a revelation of God's character 
and glory is the best remedy. I heartily amen that. When you 
are beset with temptation or trial, the best thing to do is 
study theology. Get a view of God. Understand 
the Lord. Take your nose and put it in 
the Bible and learn about our triune God. Poitras goes on to 
say, his power guarantees the final victory. His justice guarantees 
vindication of the right. And his goodness and magnificence 
guarantee blessing and comfort. The blood of the Lamb demonstrates 
that solid redemption has already been accomplished. Even in the 
midst of trials and persecution, God is still the ruler. He controls everything. That's why it's important to 
study chapters 4 and 5 after going through chapters 2 and 
3, so that we will not focus only on the trials, the persecution, 
the suffering, the martyrdom, all of the defeat that Christ's 
Church often meets with in this lower world. We need to be realists 
and interpret that data accurately, but we also need to look heavenward 
and seek God's answer and see the divine response to these 
particulars. Notice in chapter 4, the majesty 
of God is communicated to us Very beautifully. You need to 
compare this with Ezekiel chapter 1 for just one specimen passage. There's a lot of similarities 
with what Ezekiel saw when he saw the glory of God manifest 
when he was by the river of Kabar. But we see the throne in verses 
2 and 3. That's the divine response to 
our trials and our difficulties. That's the main message of the 
book of Revelation, is that there is a throne occupied by God most 
high. When you have trials and difficulties, 
look to the throne. When you have issues and perplexities, 
look to the throne. When you are down, look to the 
throne. That is God's answer. He says 
in verses 2 and 3, immediately, I was in the Spirit and behold, 
a throne sat in heaven. And one sat on the throne. And 
he who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance. And there was a rainbow around 
the throne in appearance like an emerald. He is surrounded 
by worshippers. He is glorious. He is magnificent. Magnificent. The 24 elders I 
take as being representative of the Church. Notice this description 
of these four living creatures down in verses 6 and 7. At verse 
7 it says, the first living creature was like a lion, the second living 
creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like 
a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 
Ezekiel sees very similar things. Only in Ezekiel's vision, the 
attendants have each of the four faces on four sides. But these animals, or these depictions, 
are representative of specific things. The lion is symbolic 
of royalty. The ox, or the calf, is symbolic 
of strength. The eagle is symbolic of compassion. You can see that in Deuteronomy 
32, where God likens himself to the eagle. In fact, I've heard 
that the female eagle, the eagleette, when it's time to wean the eaglets, 
she knots them out of the nest so that they're forced to fly. 
And when I was a kid, I heard that in Hawaii, to train someone 
to swim, you threw them in the water. I don't know if they really 
did that with their babies, throw them in the water so that they 
learn how to swim, but that's what I always heard. Well, eagles 
practice something similar. They knock the bird out of the 
nest so that it has to fly. It has to fish or cut bait, literally, 
or it dies. Well, the father eagle will swoop 
down and rescue it if it's not able to fly. Very compassionate. And this was an image very well 
known in the ancient world. And this is what attends the 
glory of God. It is His royalty, the strength, 
compassion. And the face of a man represents 
intelligence. All those are aspects, all those 
are indicative of God's rule from the throne. And something 
else very interesting to notice when we come to this description. 
Go back to verse 3 for just a moment. He says, And he who sat there 
was like a jasper, and a sardius stone in appearance, and there 
was a rainbow around the throne in appearance, like an emerald. Ezekiel does this too in his 
description. The closer he gets to the glory 
of God, the more he has to say, it's like, it appears to be. Why? Because we can't fully comprehend 
it. He's pulling images that we can 
understand. He's not saying it was Jasper. No, it's like Jasper. Something 
we can connect to to get something of an idea, but the closer he 
gets to the glory of God, the more light and appears, and light 
and appears comes out. I heard D. A. Carson explain 
this. If you were to explain a modern 
appliance to a primitive tribesman, how would you do that? He's not 
a fool, he's not dumb. But he has no categories to relate 
to a box that you open up, you put your cup in, you shot, you 
push one minute, and it's hot. He doesn't have that category 
available to him. So you have to try to connect 
on his level and say, like, and appears, and like, and appears. Not because he's ignorant, but 
because he doesn't have those categories of thought. It's the 
same thing. When we are brought into the 
presence of the glory of God, We must be told it's like, and 
it appears, because we don't have those categories. We are 
sinful men on a sinful earth. We are not now enveloped in the 
glory that is God. That's what the apostle is doing. 
That's what Ezekiel does prior to that. So the throne is glorious. The attendants demonstrate the 
glory of God. Notice the terror and the power 
associated with the scene. In verse 5, and from the throne 
proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. This is synonymous, 
or this is exactly like the description of Sinai in Exodus 19. Don't come near the mountain 
or you will die. Remember that pompous scene, 
that glorious display of God showing His power and His majesty? The same thing is here, the same 
connection, the same idea. He speaks of seven lamps of fire 
were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of 
God, representative of the one Holy Spirit, the third person 
of the triune God. And then verse 8, the four living 
creatures, each having six wings. Hopefully you're reminiscent 
of Isaiah the prophet. Why did those angels have six 
wings? With two they flew, with two 
they covered their feet, and with two they covered their face. 
Why? Because God is glorious. And we don't just strut into 
His presence and say, Amen. We don't just strut into His 
presence and address Him as an equal. We are to bow before Him 
in humility. We are to bow before Him in reverence. We are to simulate, or imitate 
rather, the response of John when he saw the glorified Christ 
in Revelation 1. It says, I fell at His feet as 
a dead man. Ezekiel the prophet did the very 
same thing. Isaiah the prophet cries out, 
woe is me for I am undone. These men had no concept of a 
big body up in the sky who simply functioned to give them whatever 
it was they desired. No, they approached with reverence. 
When they got near to his glory, they fell as dead man at his 
feet. That is the way we approach the living God. He is glorious. He is awesome. He is powerful. And then notice specifically 
the reason for their worship. An interesting textual variant 
there in verse 8, where it says in the New King James, Holy, 
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is, and is to come. The majority text has holy nine 
times. Nine times. That's holy, holy, 
holy. Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, 
holy. That's a praise chorus, a good 
one. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, 
who was and is and is to come. Again, the thrice holy, or the 
thrice repetition of holy, reminiscent of Isaiah the prophet when he 
was ushered into the throne room in Isaiah 6. And then we see 
that worship. We see that praise. We see them 
cast their crowns before the throne, saying, verse 11, You 
are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for 
You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were 
created. See, if we remove the doctrine 
of creation from the Bible, we remove a reason for worship. If we play games with what God 
says concerning creation, we are stripping away one of the 
majestic expressions of God's character. We live in a scientific 
age. No one wants to hear that there's 
a young earth and that it was spoken into existence by God. 
But since when did it matter what people want to hear? This 
is what Genesis declares. This is what Christ and his apostles 
affirm. They treat Genesis 1 to 11 as 
historically reliable narrative, and the Christian church ought 
to do the same. and understanding that doctrine 
of creation, we ought to bow before our Lord, we ought to 
say to our God, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and 
honor and power. For You created all things, and 
by Your will they exist and were created. That doctrine is to 
humble us. That doctrine is to promote praise. That doctrine is to promote worship 
and glory. and honor given to our God. Now notice, secondly, the vision 
of God the Redeemer. There is this seven-sealed scroll 
in chapter 6 at verse 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, and then chapter 8 
and verse 1 are the opening or the loosing of these seven seals. When we look at those seven seals 
and them being open, the identity or the message is simple. It is a scroll of judgment. And this is very similar to what 
we find in Ezekiel chapter 2 verses 3 to 10. The scroll is obviously 
a statement of judgment. And again, don't miss the significance. 
Chapters 2 and 3, the church is persecuted. Chapters 4 and 
5, God is on his throne. God will visit the persecutors 
with judgment. God is not a distant spectator. God is not an absentee king. God is not on a holiday. God is in control. God is ordaining 
whatever he pleases. And in this particular instance, 
it is the seven-sealed scroll that depicts the judgment of 
God upon the Church's enemies. And notice the announcement, 
verse 2. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming 
with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the scroll into lucid 
seals. Don't miss that. This is a strong 
angel with a loud voice. Sometimes I think this is up 
too high. I feel like I've got a loud voice. I'll never forget 
John Mars' grandson. Can somebody turn him down, please? John wants us to get something 
here. There is a strong angel with a loud voice who is not 
worthy to open these seals. There is one that is stronger. There is one that is louder. 
There is one that is more powerful. There is one alone that is able. 
One alone who is qualified One alone who can prevail. So when the angel makes this 
proclamation, verse 3 says, and no one in heaven or on the earth 
or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at 
it. John's response, verse 4. Excuse me. So I wept much because 
no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look 
at it. Now notice, the conqueror is 
identifying, verse 5, but one of the elders said to me, do 
not weep. In other words, John, we have 
it under control here. I don't think the strong angel 
who cried out with a loud voice was devoid of knowledge. I don't 
think the cry was for the angel, but it was for John and for us. 
It sort of sets the stage for the introduction of the conqueror 
who prevails. And notice, he is described in 
verse 5, Do not weep, behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 
the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose 
its seven seals. Christ's deity is highlighted 
here. He is the Lion of the tribe of 
Judah. Christ's humanity is stressed. He is the Root of David. and Christ's perfection for his 
office as the mediator of a new covenant. He has prevailed to 
open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. So you see how 
this whole scene is fit to promote, produce, and to demonstrate the 
glory of the Lord Jesus Christ as the initiator, as the executor 
of God's judgment upon the Church's enemies. Notice verse six, and 
I looked and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four 
living creatures and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as 
though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which 
are the seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 
Get that? What happened? The announcement 
is the lion from the tribe of Judah. John turns and what does 
he see? He sees the Lamb. And Lamb here 
isn't to be pictured as the feeble, bleeding, weak sheep. Lamb in this particular instance 
highlights the glory, the power, the excellence, and the victory 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was as the Lamb of God that 
he prevailed to open the scroll. I love the imagery. He hears 
of a lion and he turns and he sees a lamb. He sees one who 
has, or a lamb, as slaughtered, having seven horns and seven 
eyes, which are the seven spirits of God. And this is, as I've 
said before with other verbs, a perfect verb. Not perfect that 
it's perfect. Perfect is a tense. You think 
of the past tense. I went to Superstore yesterday. 
That's the past tense. The future tense says, I will 
go to Superstore tomorrow. The perfect tense is beautiful. 
It refers to something that happened in the past, but it has results 
for right now. It's the same type of verb that 
Jesus used when he said, it is finished. It is finished, it 
happened in the past, but it has current abiding results for 
us now. Same language that John uses 
here. He sees this lamb as though it 
had been slain, a lamb as though it had been slaughtered. It happened 
in the past, one time, but there are abiding results as a result 
of this lamb's having been slaughtered. John hears of the lamb, and he 
looks and he sees a lamb. It is through His atoning death 
for sinners that Christ has prevailed to open this judgment scroll. And when you get into the horns, 
it represents His power and authority. And it is He who controls, it 
is He who dispatches, it is He who sends the Spirit of God into 
all the earth. What we saw, or at least referred 
to this morning in Acts 2, Jesus poured out the Spirit. So that's 
the Savior, the Conqueror identified, the Conqueror in view. And then 
notice the Conqueror in action, verse 7. Then he came and took 
the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 
Could a creature do this? I mean, think about it. God Almighty 
is sitting on his throne holding this scroll. Who but God Almighty 
could take that scroll out of his hand? You want a proof for 
the deity of Christ? Well, the book of Revelation 
is filled with proofs for the deity of Christ. But 5.7 is simply 
a declaration of His power and His majesty. He came, He took 
the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And then when He took that scroll, 
before it gets into the opening of the seals, the loosing of 
the particular seals, there is a time of worship. It's almost 
as if John says, you know, we're going to get to the judgment 
of God. We're going to get to these seven seals. We will see 
what God does in answer to the suffering church on earth. But 
we need worship first. We need to praise first. That's 
a good pattern for us. That is a very good example for 
us. We want answers. We want this. 
We want that. What about worship? What about 
bowing before our God? What about glorifying the Lord 
who has saved us? What about stopping one moment 
out of your busy day and directing your worship and praise unto 
God? What about in the morning before 
you go to work? Why don't you spend some time 
in worship? Why not before you go to bed at night spend some 
time in worship? We are busy people. I don't doubt 
that. But there's always time and every 
day to worship our God. Chapter 6 and 8 are going to 
develop some pretty horrific judgments. And what 7 is, it's 
not as if he stopped. 7 is an interlude between the 
6th and the 7th seal. So it's one unit, 6, 7, and 8. 
But between the opening of the loosing of the 6th and 7th seal, 
chapter 7 is there to explain some things for us before the 
7th seal is open. I mean, there's some vicious 
judgment, vicious not in a bad way, but I mean in a righteous, 
God-glorifying way, that are going to be poured out upon the 
enemies of Christ's Church. We'll get to that, John says. 
We'll see all that, John says. See, our natural inclination 
is verse 7. Then he came and took the scroll 
out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. What is 
the scroll saying? What are these seven seals? Maybe 
some of you tonight are going to say, are you going to explain 
what these seven seals are? I mean, I'm really interested 
in this. I'm really concerned about these seven seals. That's 
how we read the Bible. We want our answers. God, John, 
heaven says, wait and worship. You'll get your answers. Your 
answers will flow far more better when you are in a worshipful 
attitude, when you submit yourself unto God, when you humble yourself 
under His mighty hand. In His due time, He will lift 
you up. Verses 8 to 14 record that worship. They praise Jesus for redemption. Notice verse 8, Now when he had 
taken the stroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four 
elders fell down before the Lamb. You see, it's the Lamb that is 
primarily in view here. Each having a harp and golden 
bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 
And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll 
and to open its seals, for you were slain and have redeemed 
us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people 
and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God, 
and we shall reign on the earth. Yes, we want to know what those 
seals are. Yes, we want to know what this 
scroll is about. But right now, we just want to 
praise you, Jesus. We just want to esteem you, Jesus. 
We just want to recall the fact that you went into this world, 
that you came into this world, that you took on the likeness 
of sinful flesh without sin, that you denied yourself, that 
you humbled yourself, that you obeyed God's law, that you were 
submissive in every respect, you were like us in every point 
except without sin, That you were crucified at the hands of 
godless men, that you were put into a grave, that you rose from 
the grave, and that you ascended on high. We just want to worship 
you, Jesus. I think this is a good pattern 
for all of us. We need to worship Jesus. We need to install Jesus. We need to praise Jesus. First 
and foremost on our Lord's Day, it ought to be worshipping Jesus. Not settling theological disputes. 
Worshipping Jesus. That's first. That's most important. That's primary. I mean, I think about God, and 
I think about His grace, and I think about His mercy, and 
I think about the way He rolls. He's not like us. What comes 
first for God is His glory. That's what must come first for 
us, His glory. You were slain. You have redeemed 
us to God by your blood. There's no Arminians in heaven. 
Not to say Arminians don't make it to heaven, but they go through 
a great change. They become Calvinists. They 
don't speak of potential redemption. They don't speak of possible 
redemption. They ascribe all praise and glory 
to Jesus, for you have redeemed us. There's no debate. There's no little do about this. Look at it. You have redeemed 
us to God by your blood. You have made us kings and priests 
to our God. We shall reign on the earth. The new or true Israel is ascribing 
praise to their Lord and to their Savior. Verse 11, Then I looked, 
and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the 
living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was ten 
thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands sang 
with a loud voice. What a glorious picture! What 
an amazing display! This is what John is telling 
us. He is ushered up into this grand 
throne room. He is reported with a God's eye 
view to us on earth. He says, I looked around and 
all I could see was 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands. I mean, as far as my eye could 
see, there were attendants, there were praisers, there were worshippers, 
there were adorers. God is at the center. Christ, 
the Lamb, is receiving all of this. Here is their ascription. 
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and 
wisdom and strength and glory and blessing. 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, I heard saying, 
blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits 
on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever." And the four 
living creatures said, Amen. And the 24 elders fell down and 
worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. The glory, the praise 
of heaven is given to the Lamb and to the Father. He receives 
the praise. He receives the glory. He receives 
the honor. Well, we learn, brethren, In 
conclusion, first of all, the glory of God. With reference 
to the glory of God, having looked or at least referred to Ezekiel, 
Isaiah, and herewith John, our response before the Lord must 
be humility and worship. Humility and worship. When we 
come, when we stand, when we look at what goes on in Revelation 
4 and 5, let's not get caught up in all of the details and 
trying to explain everything to the nth degree and miss the 
fact that we are to stand before the Lamb, or better yet, fall 
down before the Lamb and cry out to Him Blessing and honor 
and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne and to 
the Lamb forever and ever. We need to be mindful in this 
depiction of the victory of Jesus Christ. Remember, according to 
chapter 1, He is present with the seven churches. He is mindful 
of his people. He communicated that to the churches 
in Revelation 2 and 3. I know your suffering. I know 
your works. I know your tribulation. I know 
your trial. I know my faithful martyr Antipas 
was martyred. He is mindful of his people. 
He is, according to chapter 5, the atonement for his people. Chapter 5, verse 6. Chapter 5, 
verse 6, He has prevailed to open the scroll. How did He do 
that? Through His atoning cross work. That comes out very clearly 
in verse 9. For you were slain and have redeemed 
us to God by your blood. That's the reason why He is worthy 
to take the scroll and to open its seals. He is victorious for 
His people. He prevailed. He conquered. He's glorious. And He is the 
pattern for His people. Notice thirdly, the mission of 
Christ. Verse 9, chapter 5. You have redeemed us to God by 
your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 
That's what we need to be about. We need to be witnesses to every 
tribe and tongue and people and nation. It's easy to get sidetracked. I realize that. The devil doesn't 
want us to do that. I realize that. But we must fight 
him. We must oppose. We must seek 
by the grace of God to do what Jesus does. We need to be missions-minded. We need to be evangelists. We 
need to shine as lights in a crooked and perverse generation. We need 
to conduct ourselves in the fear of God, and we need to hold forth 
the word of truth out of every tribe and tongue and people and 
nation. We not only need to shine as lights, we need to pray. We 
need to pray that Watson, pity the nations, O our God, and constrain 
the earth to come. We need to pray for gospel victory 
throughout the earth. We need to pray for our brothers 
and sisters in North Korea. We need to pray for our brothers 
and sisters in various places in the Muslim world. We need 
to pray for our brothers and sisters that are suffering for 
the cause of Jesus Christ. They are part of this. They are 
part of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. We need 
to be globally minded. It's very easy to be myopic. 
It's very easy to be narrow-minded. It's very easy just to see me, 
myself, and I. We need to lift up our eyes and 
behold, the fields are white unto harvest. We need to realize 
there is a lot more to the Kingdom of Christ than what we see right 
here. We need to understand that the Lord God Most High is calling 
men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. And then 
finally, the gospel. Christ is praised for redemption. Do not forget that he is opening 
a scroll of judgment which will eventually incite men to cry 
out in 6, 16, and 17, fall on us and hide us from the face 
of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 
For the great day of his wrath has come and who is able to stand? 
So if you do not know this Christ that is set forth in this chapter, 
the answer is to believe on Him. He is what is depicted here. 
He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David. He 
is the One alone that saves His people from their sins. Believe 
the Gospel and you will be saved. Let us pray. Father, we give 
you thanks for this glorious view of your throne room, and 
we pray that you would just comfort our hearts and settle our minds 
as we see so many things in this world that do cause trouble to 
us, Lord. I confess in my own life the 
things that go on, the things that discourage me. I just pray 
that you would help me to get a fresh view of God and of the 
Lamb who sits upon the throne. I pray that you would keep this 
forever before the eyes of your people here on earth. I pray 
for my brothers and my sisters that you would just fill each 
one of us with your spirit and cause us to walk in a manner 
that is consistent with your gospel, not to get bogged down 
with the trials and the difficulties, but to look upward, to look to 
that throne and the land that sits upon it. And we pray in 
Jesus' name. Amen.