Worship Worthy - Revelation
5
From the heart of the
pastor:
“Who is
worthy to open the book and to break its seals? The
Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of
David, has overcome so as to open the book and its
seven seals” (Rev.
5:2, 5).
A Roman centurion had a
slave who was about to die. He sent word to Jesus
asking Him to heal his servant, saying, “I am not
worthy for You to come under my roof; for this
reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come
to You, but just say the word, and my servant will
be healed” (Lk. 7:6f.). Jesus applauded the
Gentile’s sober recognition of his unworthiness and
of Christ’s worthiness: “I say to you, not even in
Israel have I found such great faith” (Lk. 7:9).
The world tells you to
worship yourself because you are worthy of
self-worship. God says He alone is to be
worshipped. Who is right – God or man?
God gave John a
celestial vision of the victory secured by Jesus for
Christians. John sees God sitting on His throne
holding in His right hand a book containing the
comprehensive revelation of the future’s history
purchased with Jesus’ blood (Dan. 12:9f.). Though
believers have not yet experienced total triumph,
John says, “The kingdom of the world has become the
kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will
reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).
The book remains
unopened because the book’s opener is responsible
for the fulfillment of the book’s contents – he is
the executor. That is why John sees and hears a
strong angel crying out to the universe for the one
worthy to fulfill the future’s predestined history.
Are you worthy to open
the book and break its seals? Your spirit may be
willing, but your flesh is too weak. All of
creation is stilled when addressing the angel’s
request. No angel is worthy; no devil is worthy; no
one in Adam’s line is worthy. No creature can stand
in this gap (Eze. 22:30).
The occasion’s
significance assaults John’s senses. He knows that
mankind cannot induce its own consummation because
God alone is God. Peering through tears, John
discovers grace’s comfort.
An elder who has
experienced his own soul’s salvation commands John
to stop weeping. He refers to the book’s fulfiller
via two Old Testament Messianic titles of the worthy
one: “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah”
(Gen. 49:9f.), and “the Root of David” (II Sam.
7:12ff.; Isa. 11:1, 10).
The opener of the book,
the breaker of the seals and the executor of its
contents overcame Satan’s seductions and the world’s
distractions. How did Jesus overcome life and death
to secure eternal life for those He called to
Himself?
“Although He existed in
the form of God, [Jesus] did not regard equality
with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself…
to the point of death, even death on a cross”
(Phil. 2:6f., 8).
SOLI DEO GLORIA!
