Chapel Service Brings Focus to Campus

Those who were in chapel this week will probably consider Scott Doherty’s message on the glory of Christ to be one of the highlights of the trimester. Using Revelation 5 as his text, Doherty looked at the exalted position of Christ and missions in light of that knowledge.

Scott's wife, Kim, shared her testimony with the Monday Women's Group the day before the chapel message and it was a rich time for the women on campus, as well. The Doherty family will be moving to Peru next year after 12 months of language study at the Institute. In the meantime, they are keeping track of their adventures in Costa Rica on their blog To The Ends of the Earth.

For those who missed chapel this week, the transcript follows:

Worthy is the Lamb (Revelation 5)
by Scott Doherty

John Dober and David Nitschman were two ordinary men that caught a glimpse of the worthiness of Jesus Christ as we see in Revelation 5.  In 1732 they set out on a mission that they knew they would never come back from.

They were not going on a short term trip to Central America, South America or even Africa.  They where on a boat with a one way ticket to a remote island that was owned by a slave trader.

The owner of this island full of slaves said that he would never allow a Christian missionary to ever step foot on his island because he didn't want his slaves to ever be inundated by the gospel.

So there was a dilemma:  There was an island full of slaves that have never heard of the worthiness of Jesus Christ and who had absolutely no hope in salvation and there was a slave owner that would never allow the gospel to penetrate his prison island.

John and David didn't have to think long about what to do.  It was quite simple to them.  As their boat left the dock they said goodbye to their families who were crying because they knew they would never see them again.

They wouldn't see them again because John and David just sold themselves as slaves on this island in order to proclaim the glory of Christ to people with no hope.  They used the money that they received from selling themselves to buy the boat ticket to get to the island.
As the boat pulled away John and David cried out their motivation for what they were doing, they cried:  May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering.

John and David caught a glimpse of what John saw in his vision that we read in the book of Revelation.  They caught the same glimpse of the 24 elders in chapter 4 who fell down before the throne of God and cried:

Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things and by your will they existed and were created.

This is the glimpse of the glory of Christ that I want all of us to see, understand and motivate us to endure every hardship and trial we will face in the field.

A right understanding of the worthiness of Jesus Christ will radically change the way you face everything.

Lets look at the text.  Chapter 5, verse 1.

A scroll that couldn't be opened

In verse 1 John sees a scroll that has been sealed with 7 seals and it is in the right hand of God.  We know that the One who holds the scroll is God because of the previous chapter where we see the 24 elders falling down before His throne in worship.

Notice how little the description is about he who holds the scroll.  There is a lack of descriptions because even our greatest attempts to describe God will diminish His glory.

The Father is also the author and owner of the scroll that He holds in His hand.  There are many different views on what is actually written on the scroll and we could go into all the different theories but it is not the point of this chapter.  The contents of the scroll could be curses that will be poured out on man, or it could symbolize God's covenant with man or it could contain God's purposes for history.

A search was made for one that is worthy

What ever is in the scroll was sealed and only a worthy One could open it.  In verse 2, a strong angel calls for a search to be made in heaven, on earth and under the earth for someone that would be found worthy to open the scroll.

Not one person or angel or cherubim or even the closest flaming creatures to the throne of God were found worthy.  

The earth was searched and all were examined and none found worthy.  The Pope was found unworthy, Joseph Smith, Buddha, Muhammad, Mother Theresa and every other mere human was found unworthy.  Even the greatest of the Apostles and all the prophets of old were searched and they were all deemed as unworthy to take the scroll or even look inside of it.

All of heaven was searched.  All of the hosts of heaven and all of the flaming creatures that spend their time at the foot of God's throne were searched and none were found even close to worthy.

There was only One found worthy

When the search seemingly turned up empty, John began to weep because there was none found worthy to take the scroll.  

This interlude emphasizes the exclusivity of the only One that  was worthy to take the scroll.

As John is weeping, one of the 24 elders that we just saw in chapter 4 falling down before the throne in worship to God, comes to John because he knows more information than John.  The elder now introduces the Hope of mankind.

He tells John, “weep no more.”  Then the elder takes the honor of introducing the greatest name that ever was spoken, the name that is above all names.  He doesn't call this One that was found worthy by His name that we all know as Jesus.

He calls this worthy One by His prophetic title, “The Lion of the tribe of Judah.”  

This name comes from the son of Israel, Judah, in Genesis 49:9.

Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?

The lion is the king of beasts, ferocious, and dangerous if you are His prey.  This is the side of Jesus that no one likes to talk about.  

But this is the Jesus that is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and that is coming back to judge the world.

Someone once said:

I have good news and bad news.

The good news is, Christ is coming.
and the bad news is, Christ is coming.

It just depends on which side of the fence you are on.  If you are a friend of this Lion or a foe.  If you are a friend of this predator or the prey.

The elder also entitles this worthy One as the Root of David.  This terminology comes from Jeremiah 33:15-16.

In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.

This worthy One was predicted long before He came.

He was deemed worthy because of His act of conquering.  He crushed the power of sin and death and the power of darkness at the cross, which deemed Him to be the only One worthy to open the scroll.

John's tears of sadness now turn to tears of joy.  As John looks to see who this Righteous One is, he sees (verse 6) a Lamb standing between the four living creatures and the throne of God.

In chapter 4, verses 6-8, we see a description of these four living creatures and they are almost exactly like the Cherubim that Ezekiel describes.

These four living creatures worship God before His throne without ceasing.  They cry out:  holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.

These are the closest created beings to the throne of God.  Their power and might and worthiness are above all but God.

But now John sees the Lamb actually standing between these four living creatures and the throne of God.  There is One found more worthy to stand nearer to God.  

But the Lamb is standing as though it had been slain.  

The question that I thought of as I studied this passage was why was Jesus seen as the conquering Lion now seen as a Lamb.

Matthew Henry explains it like this:

He is seen as a Lion because he conquered Satan and as a Lamb because He satisfied the justice of God by dying in our place and satisfying the wrath of God.

Jesus is seen as a Lamb that only looks as though it has been slain.  This Lamb is victorious Lamb that was in a huge battle and won.  He now bears the bloody marks of his suffering as proof of His intercession for man and his bearing the penalty for our sin.

All of heaven stands in awe as the event that has been longed for comes to pass.  In verse 7 it says:

And He went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne.

For the first time in all history a Man walks up to this scroll that no one in heaven or earth or under the earth was worthy to look at, and He picks it up.

He doesn't pick it up in a timid way but in a way that a confident victor takes a crown when He earned His victory.  

Jesus takes the scroll from the right hand of His Father because it was His right to do so.  He earned the right because He conquered.

The exclusivity of Christ that we see here echoes what we read in Acts 4:12:

There is salvation in no one else, there is no other name in Heaven by which we must be saved.

The thought that man can be reconciled to God in any other way outside of Christ is preposterous.

Result was worship and glory to Jesus

What was the response when Jesus was found worthy to take the scroll?  Verse 8 tells us:

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

                   “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,
                   for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people or 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.”

Why was Jesus deemed the only One in all creation that was worthy.  The song that they sing tells us that it is because He was slain, and by His blood He ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Jesus was born under the law and went His whole life without sin.  He never sinned once in word, thought or deed.

He was tempted in every way but without sin.

The only thing that we have ever done in our life is sin.  We sin in word, thought and deed every hour.  We do nothing but store up the wrath of God upon ourselves.
But while we were yet the vilest of sinners, Christ died for us.  He went willingly to the cross and bore our sin.  He became sin for us.  

All of our sin earns us the wrath of God, which is the due penalty that we must satisfy for all eternity in Hell.

Jesus took all of our sin upon His head and then He stood in our place and God the Father poured out His full fury and wrath on His beloved son instead of us.  

Christ paid our fine and reconciled His people to God.  The shepherd laid down His life for His sheep.

Because Jesus was perfect and without sin, His Father accepted the payment and the wrath of God that was pointed at us was appeased for the first time in all creation.

When Jesus died on the cross the fine was paid and 3 days later, He rose from the grave and stood as a the conquering Lamb that looked as though it was slain but was the victor.

At this point, by His blood, Jesus ransomed a people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

This is the great hope of every missionary battling in the field today.  

When we look into the ripe field and see:

-so few and scattered laborers
-such an insurmountable work
-horrendous opposition to the gospel
-persecution on every side

We cling to this great hope because:

-God really does have a people scattered among the nations
-He really is going to gather them from every tribe and tongue
-and He will use the means of preaching the gospel by missionaries to accomplish this end.

So Jesus boldly takes the scroll that only He could open which causes the four living creatures and the 24 elders to fall down before the Lamb and sing a new song to glorify Him.

This sets off a chain reaction of everything that has ever been made falling on their face and crying out, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and blessing.

Have you tasted this?  The two Moravian missionaries tasted this which caused them to cry out that “the Lamb who was slain is worthy,” as they gave their lives away as slaves for the glory of Christ.

Jesus is worthy He alone deserves all the power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory and blessing.  He deserves everything we can offer Him.  

But what we can offer Him is nothing.  We have nothing to offer Christ but what He has given us.  We have nothing in ourselves to offer Him but our sin.  He bought us with His blood by the grace of God through faith.  

He gives us everything:
He Justifies us
He adopts as Sons
He makes us into a kingdom of priests to our God
He gives us eternal life.

How much do we owe Him all the honor, reverence and praise?
At His name, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Him as Lord.  Whether you bow in reverence or He crushes you with a rod, you will bow your knee and honor Him.

But how we fail to honor Christ in a way that is worthy.   

How we take His glorious name in vain.  

Whether it is proclaiming we belong to Christ and then acting in a way contrary to everything Christ is or we are being entertained by movies and music and every other thing that blasphemes His glorious name.

How many shows do we watch the use His glorious name in vain and we know it is wrong but we tolerate it for the sake of entertainment of our wicked, worldly flesh.

How we fail at loving and honoring Christ the way He deserves.

But all our failings just drive us back to the cross and the need for a Savior.  All our failings show our need to have the gospel preached and applied to us everyday.
 
This is what motivates us

How does Jesus being worthy to take the scroll apply to us?

This tells us of the Jesus of the Scriptures, the only True Jesus.

Jesus is our motivation for everything.-He motivates us to holy living because He is worthy. -He motivates us to love our wives because He is worthy.-He motivates us to take the gospel to the nations under His authority and name because He is worthy.-He motivates us to sacrifice all our comforts because He is worthy.He is worthy of all your trials and struggles and suffering.  If we suffer with Him we will reign with him.  It was easier back home wasn't it?  It was easy speaking at churches and telling people all about the exciting things that you were going to be doing.  They got excited which got you excited.But now that you are here it's harder than you thought.  You are just beginning to taste the trials that are waiting and the suffering that is waiting for you for the purpose of conforming you to the image of Christ and advancing His kingdom. What is the solution to overcome?  There is only one.  Jesus.  Only He can uphold you.  Only He can sustain you.  Only He can bring the fire back into you.  Jesus is not the best option, He is the only option.  Enduring the worst things is worth knowing Christ.  Paul lost everything for the sake of knowing Christ.  He tells us in Philip. 3:7-8:But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ Everything else on this earth will fail you.  Your kids, your parents, friends, Christians, money, your husband, your wife, your heath, security, everything.  But Christ can never fail you.  It is contrary to who He is and it is impossible.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  He bore the Fathers wrath and by His blood, scars and pain He took our place and ransomed us.  He is the glorious One from who we draw our strength to live and breath and finish the race. Give Him the worship and glory He has earned.Learn the language, embrace the culture, endure hardship, press on toward the prize, and go out into the world to every tribe, tongue and nation as His ambassador and place a banner with His name on it (not your name nor your denominations name) on the highest mountain and proclaim that He is the Lamb who was slain and is worthy of the worship of all men.    All hail the power of Jesus name let angels prostrate fall bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all.Jesus will get the glory out of everything that has been made because everything was made through Him and for Him and whether they are redeemed or condemned Jesus will get glory out of them.So cling to ChristDepended on HimConform to HimGet a greater glimpse of HimPursue after HimGaze on HimMeditate on HimHonor His nameTruly worship Him in SpiritEndure because He endured the cross for youDon't give up because He never gave upSeek to know Him morePray