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Today's July 10th, uh Thursday, and I realized that according to the scripture union's schedule, uh, we should be on Revelation chapter 6, but uh because I wanted to spend some uh time and slow down and review chapters 1 and 3, uh we are a little bit behind our schedule. So we're looking at Revelation chapter 5, and I'll try to catch up uh the rest of the Revelation as the days go by. So, yeah, let's take a look at Revelation chapter 5, verses 1 through 14. Now, John's 70 Vision continues. In chapter 4, the focus was on the throne and the worship of God as the creator, and now the spotlight shifts to a scroll uh in the right hand of the one seated on the throne, God Himself. Now, this scroll, sealed with seven seals, contains God's sovereign plan for judgment and redemption. Judgment and redemption, which is the unfolding history itself for all humanity. But unfortunately, no one in heaven or on earth is found worthy to open it. It's not talking about the ability, it's talking about worthiness. And so John now begins to weep loudly, verse 4 for if no one can open the scroll, then God's plan remains unrevealed and unfulfilled. But then one of the elders tells him, Weep no more. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered. John turns to see, but instead of a lion, what he sees is a lamb instead of a lion standing. And the description is it was as though it had been slain. Um this is a uh the paradox at the heart of Revelation and the paradox of the gospel. Uh the irony. The triumphant king is the crucified Lamb. The Lamb takes the scroll from the hand of him who sits on the throne, and this act causes an explosion of worship. The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fall down before the Lamb. They sing a new song. Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood your ran you ransom people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priest to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Then the heavenly choir grows, myriads of angels join in, and finally every creature in heaven and on earth sings in unison to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever. Verse 13. So heaven does not tremble in silence at the lamb, it erupts in praise and adoration. Redemption is the heart of history, and the slain lamb is the center of all history and all worship. So who is God in this passage? God is the sovereign king who holds history in his hand. The scroll is not out of control, it is sealed, held, and opened only by God's will. But God, who is also the redeemer. His plan is not only about justice, but about mercy as well. And he has given authority to the Lamb, his son, who alone is worthy. And Jesus is the lion who conquered, uh, but he uh conquered death by dying himself. That's the irony of the gospel. He's a lamb who bears the marks of slaughter, but he stands. But by his obedient sacrifice. So heaven sees this clearly. To worship God rightly is to worship the crucified and risen Christ. So as we meditate upon this word, uh what do we find about our frailties? Well, uh we're weak and we often weep like John, but even then for the wrong reasons, I suppose. We weep over uh inconvenience, uh loss of control, or even fear of the future. But we uh we do not even re uh weep like John. Uh we rarely weep because we feel cut off from the purposes of God or feel unworthy to be part of his plan. And when we do not weep, we are often proud. When things go well or seemingly our ways, we become uh boastful. We assume that we can open the scroll of our own lives, manage our own destiny, or unlock the future about by our own abilities. However, we forget our life is about being worthy before God. And the Bible says no one is worthy, not even not in heaven and not on earth. So our guilt is also uh revealed in how little we worship. We are often bored with uh the concept of the kingdom of Christ. We yawn at what heaven would explode in praise and adoration. Our priorities are all all mixed up and jumbled up. So we we often reserve our highest praise for earthly success or personal gain, while contrary to that, heaven reserves the praise and adoration for the slain Lamb and those who would follow the Lamb in his footsteps. Um so in this passage uh we learn about God and we learn about our guilt, but let's also learn about our uh the grace that shines into our lives. A grace shines in the Lamb. No one is no one is worthy, but He is. And He came in the flesh. He was slain, not for His own sins, but for ours. And now He stands, risen from the grave, victorious over death, still bearing the wounds that won our peace with God. And grace also shines in the song By your blood you ransom people for God and God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Dearly beloved, let us remember that salvation is not generic, it is deeply personal. Yet also let us remember that this personal salvation is universally expansive. So every redeemed soul is a uh testimony to the worthiness of the Lamb. And the good news is that this Lamb shares his victory with those who would follow him. Let us remember and celebrate that those he ransoms, he also makes them a kingdom of God and priests to our holy Father. And they shall reign with God forever and ever. May God's grace and peace be with those who love the Lord with an undying love this day and unto the day of the Lord Jesus and forevermore. Amen.