Worship the Son of God

Well, it is good to be here. In fact, it's good to be anywhere right now. I'm so grateful to all of you, those of you who have come up to me to let me know that you prayed for me and for my family over the last several months. It means more than you could possibly imagine. The encouragement from the people of God during our darkest days was absolutely incredible. Some people have come and. Commented on how well I seem to be doing, and I am. Some have even wondered whether or not all of this was really as bad as it seemed. I got a scar I can show you. But no, the Lord has been good and. We're grateful. We're grateful for that. I'm going to be preaching tonight from the Book of Revelation, and the Book of Revelation is an incredibly meaningful book to me, always has been, but is especially meaningful to me during these days. It absolutely breaks my heart that although the Book of Revelation was written with the intention of being the most encouraging book to the believer and arguably the most practical book to the believer, it's been interpreted in such a way in recent history that instead of us finding it encourage and practical. We find it mysterious and frightening. Most Christians believe that you can't really understand the Book of Revelation, and that the only time that the Book of Revelation is important is if you think that maybe that might be the Antichrist on the horizon. So let's go look at the Book of Revelation and see if we can figure out. That's not why this book was written. It was written as an encouragement to believers and as an incredibly practical book, not for believers at some time in the future, but for believers in every generation. This is also, by the way, the most christ exalting book in the Bible. The Book of Revelation exalts Christ like nobody's business. And it is therefore even more unfortunate that we don't run to this book. Now, one of the. Reasons we don't run to this book is because we do have a hard time in the Book of Revelation. And the reason we have a hard time in the Book of Revelation is because we don't know the Old Testament. You can't say amen, you ought to say out. The Book of Revelation quotes the Old Testament, cites the Old Testament more than any other book in the New Testament. In fact, outside of Ruth, Ecclesiastes, and Hegei, it cites or quotes every book in the Old Testament, every book in the Old Testament. And so if you're not familiar with the Old Testament, you will find yourself a bit tripped up in Revelation. And I did that. I shared during the Q and A that I didn't grow up in the church. I came to faith late, never heard the Gospel until I got to college. What I didn't share was that the first book that I ever read as a new believer was Revelation. I don't recommend it. I did not love it then like I love it now. But in order to understand this book, there are a few things that will that will help you. This book is filled with symbols and with numbers, and our text today is filled with some important numbers. And when you when you get a hold of these numbers, it really helps to understand and interpret the Book of Revelation. And by the way, it also helps to memorize the Book of Revelation. But I'll share that with you. Some of the numbers that are important in the Book of Revelation. The number three is important. It's important for a couple of reasons. One of them is it's the number of God, obviously, right, the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. But it's also an important number because it is the number of what I like to refer to as the rhythm of revelation. We'll get to that in the moment. The number four is important because the number four is the number of creation, and so we read about the four angels on the four winds, and the four corners of the earth, but also a people from every tribe, nation, tongue, kindred What does that mean? A people from all over creation? And that number four. When you see that number either expressed numerically or something repeated four times, or something said in four different ways like tribe, nation, kindred tongue, understand that that's the number of creation. There is also the number seven, which is a number of perfection, a number of perfect completion, if you will, And that number is important throughout the Book of Revelation, not least of which because the Book of Revelation is really organized around. Seven parallel narratives. But also they are the seven Churches, the seven spirits, the seven golden lap stands, the seven stars, seven seals, seven horns, seven eyes, seven angels, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven crowns, seven heads, seven plagues, seven bowls, seven hills, seven kings. And then when you get tired. Of seven, you get multiples of seven, like seven thousand who die because of the earthquake. The seven beatitudes that we find in Revelation, one of them will look at in chapter one. Then there's the number ten, this number of completion, the number twelve, which is the number of the people of God. So you have twelve tribes, twelve uscles, twelve stars above the woman's head. New Jerusalem has twelve foundations on which are the names of the twelve apostles. The tree at the end in chapter twenty two bears twelve kinds of fruit for the healing of the nations. And then you have multiples of twelve. The twenty four elders around the throne. That's twelve representatives of the people of God in the Old Testament and twelve representatives of the people of God in the New Testament. Twelve tribes, twelve apostles. Then you have multiples of twelve. In chapter seven we have this mysterious, debatable number of one hundred and forty four thousand, which is what twelve times twelve times one thousand, people of God times, the people of God times, a number that represents hugeness, the official theological term for one thousand and revelation. It represents hugeness. So these numbers are incredibly important if we're going to understand this book. But as I said, the other number that's important, the number that's doubly important, is the number three. It's the rhythm of revelation. It's a lot like to call it that revelation waltz that one two three one two three. It's interesting. We talked about this backstage with the worship team, and then they came out and they did one song with three four times and another with six eight times. Y'all didn't know. I knew that it's the rhythm of revelation. So you have threes. By the way, that's why people tend to find this book easy to memorize, because of the triads that you find all over the book. So our text starts in verse four, but let's start at verse one because it'll help us when we get to our text and verse one the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him. So that's one. God gave this revelation to him to show his servants the things that must soon take place. And then he made it known by sending his angel. So God gave it to him. He made it known by saying his angel to his servant John. And then what does John do? John bore witness. John bore witness, So that's one, two three. Father gave it to the son, and son given to his angel. And then Andrew gave it to John, who bore witness one, two three. What did John bear witness to? He bore witness to the word of God. One, he bore witness to the testimony of Jesus Christ. Two and to all that he saw. Three. So now we have one two three, one two three. Might we have another, Yes we do. Verse three. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy. That's one. And blessed are those who here that's two, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. So right there in that first paragraph we have one two three, one two three, one two three. We've got three threes. So John is saying to you three is important. Amen, it's important. Now let's come to our text, and immediately we see seven. John to the seven churches that are in Asia. How many of you know there were more than seven churches in Asia. There were there were more than seven churches in Asia. But John writes to these seven churches in Asia because that's an important number, this number of perfect completion, these seven churches that were in a circular postal route. This message is not just for those seven churches. But this is a perfect message from a perfect God that is perfect for his people. And in the first part of this we understand why Christ is worthy of worship. This book is all about exalting Jesus, but upfront John wants us to know why Jesus is worthy of the exaltation that he is about to receive. Why is Christ worthy of worship? Why do we do what we do? Was the people of God? We worship the Lord Jesus Christ. When we gather, we worship Jesus. People know us as Christians, followers of Christ. But what makes Christ worthy of our worship? I'm glad you asked. Grace to you and peace. Get a bunch of threes here from Him who is and who was, and who is to come. Now there's a three, Him who is and who was, and who is to come. You're wondering who that is. Go to Revelation one eight and we read I am the Alpha, and the Omega says the Lord God, who is and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. So John says, grace to. You and peace from God the Almighty, the one who is and was and is to come. Here's that number three again, this number of God, number of God. God is the one who is and who was, and who is to come. Then it gets a. Little mysterious if you don't know what you're looking for. And from the seven spirits who are before. His throne, WHOA, what's that? The seven spirits who are before were his throne. Before we go get all crazy looking for seven different spirits before his throne, Let's wait a minute and ask ourselves a question. If John says, after giving us one two three one two three one two three in the first paragraph, grace, do you in peace from Him who was and is and is to come? There's a three. And from the seventh spirits who are before his throne. Two. There's probably a three coming along with that, and that might give us a hint as to what or who the seventh spirits refers to. So he says, from Him who was and who is and is to come from the seventh spirits who are before his throne, put a pin in that, and from Jesus Christ. Now do we know of a three part formulation that has God the Father Almighty, and Jesus. And another somebody in the formulation. Yes, we do that perfect Spirit, seven spirits, seven number of perfection. So we have here this trinitarian formulation. But it's a trinitarian formulation that's not in order. And the reason this Trinitarian formulation is not in order is because John is getting ready to go off about the second person of the Trinity. So he puts the second person of the Trinity last so that he can communicate to us why the second person of the Trinity is worthy of worship. But he's already answered the question. Christ is worthy of worship because he's God. And we see that because of the formulation. Grace and peace to you. We see that because of the formulation of the three right from the one who is and who is in wisdo come that's the Father. From the seventh spirits before sne that's the Spirit. And from Jesus Christ that's the Son God, the Father God, the Son God, the Spirit. But even beyond that, he says, grace. To you and peace from who are you gonna get grace and peace from? Besides God? Grace to you and peace from God and fred No grace and peace come to you from God and God alone. So we see here through this tryune reference that John is communicating to us that Jesus is worthy of worship because he's God, and that in and of itself is enough. Worship Christ because he's God. He's not like God, he's not close to God, he's not almost God. Jesus Christ is God, and that is why we worship him. By the way, if we worship Jesus and he is anything other than God, then we are guilty of idolatry, because God is the only one who's worthy of worship, which is why Christ allows his apostles to fall and worship at his feet. Worship is reserved for God and for God alone. And so we worship the Lord Jesus Christ because he's God, because he's the creator of the world, because he's the sustainer of the universe. He is inherently. Worthy of our worship, and he is the only one who is inherently worthy of our worship. Worship the Lord Jesus Christ, because he's God. I've often told the story of a plane ride. A plane ride I'll never forget. I'm writing the next door a woman who's reading a book, and she's reading a New Age book about Jesus. If the title of the book didn't give it away, the cover gave it away that this was a New Age book about Jesus. And it was one of those times I was tired, you know, I just you know, I know you'd probably love to think that. You know that us, you know, preachers, when we go somewhere and we preach and we do all that we have to do, we get on the plane and we just can't wait for the Lord to give us somebody to witness to. No. No, when we threw it, y'all, we want to get on the plane and go to sleep. And that's what I wanted to do, but not this day. I'm getting on the plane and I just want to go to sleep. Get on the plane and I sit down and I'm like my row is empty. And it's one of those days where I just felt, Lord, if you love me, give me this row, God, just give me this row. And this woman sits down. That's fine, she's Lisa. Wasn't a big old burly man right like me. There's nothing like two big old burly men sitting next to each other on the plane. Right again, whose elbow is going to be up on the No, So it's a it's a woman. Okay, Lord, thank you. I appreciate that. I was ungrateful. So now I can sleep because it's not a big burly man. And she opens up a book about Jesus. Not gonna happen, is it? And so we have a conversation about this book about Jesus. That she's reading this book about Jesus. Who's you know? And I asked her, you know, if she knows my Jesus and she says yes, And I said, well, who is my Jesus? Then he's you know, he's a good man, good prophet and a good teacher. And that was all. That was all, And so I just had to ask. I said, okay, well do you believe that he's Do you believe he's God? No? No, I don't believe that he's God. I believe he was, you know, a man who was close to God, and he was this and that and the other. And you don't believe he is God. Do you believe that he's the only way to God? No, I don't believe he's the only way to God. You know there are many roads to God. Do you believe he died and rose again on the third day? No, no, I don't believe he died in rose on the third day. So then you don't believe that he ascended to the right hand of the Father and he's coming again to judge the living. And the dead. No, no, I don't believe that. I said, well, ma'am, I don't know you very well, but I feel obligated to tell you. You got issues. Why is that well, because you believe that Jesus is a good man. But this man said, I and the Father are one. If you see me, you've seen the Father. You say you don't believe he's God, but he said that he was God. A man who says that he's God is not a good man if he's not God. You also say you believe he's good prophet, But you don't believe that he died and rose again, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and that he's going to come again to judge the living and the dead. But Jesus prophesied that he would go and prepare a place for us, and that if he went to prepare a place for us, he would come again and receive us to himself. If he's not going to do that, then he's not a good prophet. He's a false prophet. You also said that you don't believe that he's the only way to God, and he said, I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by me. How can he be a good teacher If he taught that he's the only way to God when he's not, that would make him a false teacher. You see, if Christ is not the God man, if he's not everything that the Bible says that he is, then he's not worthy of our worship, because he's a liar and a false prophet and a terrible man. But the good news is she was wrong. He is God, and so we worship him. He is God, which means that we're obligated to worship him. We are commanded to worship him. You don't have to want to worship God. It doesn't matter if you want to worship God. You are the creature. He is the creator. You were created to worship God. And in fact, if you don't worship God, you are guilty for not worshiping God. And you stand condemned for not worshiping God. Yeah, but I don't believe in God. Who cares. He's God? And so we worship Jesus because he's God. But wait, there's more. And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, because he's God. That's enough. We worship Jesus because he's God. But not only is he God, but he is the faithful Witness. Now, when a witness comes to the stand, we ask him if he swears to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help him God, this witness is God. And this witness not only tells the truth, but this witness is the truth. Jesus is the faithful Witness. He's not a faithful witness. He is the faithful Witness. There are others who've come before him, who have testified proximately to the truth, but none of them are the truth. Jesus is the truth. Therefore, he's the faithful witness who is worthy of our worship because of his faithfulness. But not only that, not only is he a faithful witness whose testimony is true, but in fact, all of the testimony in the scripture that is given by other witnesses is testimony about him. In Luke chapter twenty. Four, he makes this clear that all of the writings that the law and the prophets testify of him. So here's the faithful witness who not only testifies to the truth, but is the truth. But he's the faithful witness that all other witnesses point to. He's worthy of our worship. Not only is he the faithful witness, but he's the first born from the dead, the firstborn from the dead. And that word first born. If you remember back to the passage that was read just a few moments ago in Colossians chapter one, that idea of him being the firstborn, him being preeminent, him having first place over all things in creation. This is about him being pre eminent over death and pre eminent in his resurrection. You can argue all you want that you know Lazarus would have preceded. Him and Lazarus would have been the firstborn from the dead. But listen to this, Lazarus was not resurrected from the dead. I hear you, heresy. Nah, not like Jesus, Because if Lazarus was resurrected like Jesus, he'd be at the conference. Lazarus had a really bad day. First of all, he died, bad day. Second of all, he dies and he's gotten that over with, and he's called back. Bad day. Thirdly, he died, he got it over with, he was called back and he had to do it again. But even if Lazarus had experienced the resurrection like that of Christ already, Christ would still be the firstborn from the dead because he is pre eminent. He is first, he is before, he is more than, He is greater than the last time I checked, and I didn't look today. I meant to look before coming over. The last time I checked, the death rate was one per person. All of us will die and then face the judgment. And there is only one who has overcome death and hell and the grave, and that makes him worthy of our worship. He's God. Worship him, He's the faithful Witness. Worship him. He's the first born from the dead. Worship him. And then here's the third one. Remember one two three, one two three. The third thing. He's the ruler of kings on earth. Worship him. He's the ruler of kings on earth. You worship him because of his rank, even because of his earthly rank, we worship him. Now. Now listen to this now, all of us, regardless of how you feel about the president. And there are times when an illustration like this carries more weight than. At other times. But regardless of how you feel about the president, he's the president, amen, somebody, regardless of how you feel because of the office. You can talk trash all you want at your house. You can call names all you want at your house. You can stick your chest out and be big and bad and talk about this, that and the other at your house. But when the black limma with the flags pulls up and the man gets out, you can say what you want to under your breath, But what comes out is, mister President. Americans can go to the United Kingdom and talk about how we're independent from those people. No king, but Jesus, we fought a. War so that we didn't have to be subjects. For free men. You're all over here talking about your subjects of her majesties. This and that and the other. If she walked up, you buy your little head curtsy, do it all wrong, and you would show respect for the office. But what John says is that regardless of the office you or anyone else holds, there is another one who is King of all kings. And Lord of all lords. And while you may respect and genuflect, there's only one whom you worship, and that's Jesus. And so we worship him because because he's God. We worship him becau he's faithful witness. Worship him because he's firstborn from the dead. We worship him because he's the ruler of kings on earth. And just when we are about to be overwhelmed and beaten down, I mean, at this point, you know, it's like, okay, fine, I get it. I owe worship to Jesus. I will give him worship because I owe it to him. I will give him worship because he's intrinsically worthy of worship. Because he's God and I'm commanded to worship God. I worship him because he's faithful witness. I worship him because he's first born from the dead. I worship him because he's the ruler of kings on the earth. Okay, fine, I will worship him just before you take a knee. John says there's more. He's true worship, to borrow a phrase from Bruce Leafblaff, professor at Southwestern Seminary back in the day. True worship happens when we set our mind's attention and heart's affection on the Lord, praising him for who he is and for what he's done so far. We've seen who he is. Amen, He's God. We worship him because of who he is as God. He's the faithful Witness. We worship him because of who he is as faithful Witness. We worship him because who he is as firstborn from the dead. We worship him because who he is as ruler of kings on the earth. And then he says, to him who loves us, that's just good. The rest is enough, Amen, the rest is enough. And he's worthy of our worship because of all of those things. But if that's the only reason that we come to him and bow down to him in worship, it's insufficient. Because the most majestic aspect of Christ's worthiness is not just who he is, But what he's done, and the magnitude of what he's done is more significant because of who he is as the one who did it, and to him. Who loves us. Of defining love elsewhere as an act of the will accompanied by emotion that leads to. Action on behalf of its object. The text here is not talking about Jesus being worthy because of an emotion that he displays toward us. No, it's more significant than that. We worship him because of the love that he has for us that has been manifested in his actions. By the way, there's a triad here as well, to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood. God demonstrated his love for us in this and that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Christ died for sin once for all, the just, for the unjust, in order that he might bring us back to God. I love the way Asah puts it. All of us had gone astray, each of us had turned to his own way. But God has laid upon him the iniquity. Of us all. He freed us from our sins by his blood. It's an amazing thing to be freed but we weren't just freed. We weren't just liberated. We were liberated from our sins, which means we were liberated from something that we deserved. Amen, you are a sinner in need of a savior. There was a holy and righteous God who is a judge that you have offended, and. You deserved his wrath. You rightly stood condemned before that holy and righteous godd and you could not deliver yourself from your sins. Someone outside of you had to deliver you from your sins. But not just anyone could deliver you from your sins. Your Mama loves you, but she couldn't deliver you from your sins. Amen. Your Daddy might love you, but he can't deliver you from your sins. The best friend you've ever had or known cannot deliver you from your sins. Your heroes can't deliver you from your sins. Even your biblical heroes couldn't deliver you from your sins. Adam, you got us into this, Get us out. Sorry, I can't I ate Abraham, can you okay? David? You're a man after God's own heart? You, Oh Bethsheba, I got you. Moses, the lawgiver certainly you can. Oh, you didn't even get to go into the promised land. My bad. There's something that is captured in chapter five of Revelation. Listen to John as he writes in chapter five. Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne, a scroll written within and on back, sealed with seven seals. There's that number again. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, worthy or who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals. And no one in heaven, or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. This is God's judgment about to come out. And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, stop crying, boy, weep no more. Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. And between the throne and the four living creatures, and among the elders, I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain, with seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 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 bowlsful of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, worthy are you to take the scroll to open its seals? For you were slain, and by your blood you ransom to people for God, from every tribe, language, people, and nation. He's worthy. He's worthy because he freed us from our sins by his blood. And so we worship him because he's God, and because he's a faithful witness, him because he's the firstborn from the dead, because he's a ruler of kings on earth. We worship him because he loved us. We worship him because he freed us from our sins by his blood. But then verse six and made us a kingdom of priests to his God and Father. It's interesting if you look back again at Revelation five, where we left off verse ten. Let's read verse nine. Again 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 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. One Peter two, verse four. As you come to him a living stone, rejected by men, but in the sight of God, chosen and precious you, yourselves, like living stones, are being built up to a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Why is this significant? Because we just turned a corner. Christ is worthy of our worship, first and because he's God, and that's enough. He's worthy because he's the faithful Witness, and because he's a firstborn from the dead, and because he's the ruler of kings on the earth. So he's worthy because of who he is. But he's also worthy because of what he's done. He's worthy because he loved us and he freed us from our sins by his blood, by his substitutionary atoning death, through his active and passive obedience, through his active obedience of keeping the law on our behalf, so that he might impute righteousness to us, and in his passive obedience by dying on the cross, the death that we owe, so that our sinfulness could be imputed to him, so that through this double imputation we might be declared righteous. And because of that he makes us worthy to offer worship. You see, here's what's interesting. If we read this the right way, John is essentially saying, worship Jesus because he's God. And if you say, okay, I worship him because he's God, John says, stop, you're. Not worthy to offer him worship. And then he says, worship him, Worship the faithful, witness, worship the firstborn from the dead. Worship the ruler of kings of earth. Okay, I worship him. Stop that you're not worthy to offer him the worship that he deserves. How do I become worthy to offer worship that is worthy of the one who is worthy of worship to him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood. That's what made us unworthy and made us a kingdom of priests to his God and father that's what makes us worthy to him. Be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Christ is worthy of worship because of who he is and because of what He's done. But Christ is also worthy of worship because in his person and work, he makes us worthy to offer him worship that is worthy of him. Because apart from the person and work of Jesus Christ, there is nothing that we could possibly offer that would be worthy of him. We cannot lift up clean hands before God. If our hands are not clean, we can't do it. Turn with me to the book of Isaiah Isaiah chapter one, and start at verse ten. He's speaking to his sinful people. Here hear the word of the Lord. Your rulers of Sodom, give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah, that's what he calls them, Sodom, and go by the way. Sodom and Gomora are toast. At this time, he's talking about the sinfulness the people of God. What to me is the multi the multitude of your sacrifices, says the Lord. I've had enough of burnt offerings of rams and a fat of well fed cattle. Or excuse me, I've had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well fed beasts. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who is required of you? This trampling of my courts, bring no more vain offerings. Incense is an abomination to me. New Moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations. I cannot endure iniquity in the solemn assembly, your new moons and your appointed feast. My soul hates he's talking about the worship that the people are offering. His soul hates. They have become a burden to me. I'm weary of burying them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, Remove the evil of your deed from before my eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good, Seek justice, correct depression, Bring justice to the fatherless. Plead the widow's cause. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are a scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like whoo. Don't come before me with your worthless worship. You must be made clean first. And the good news is we come before the one who loved us and freed us from our sins by his blood. And he has made us a kingdom of priests who can indeed offer worship that is acceptable in the sight of Almighty God. So Christ is worthy of our worship. He's worthy of our worship because he's God. He's worthy because of who he is. He's worthy because of what he's done, And because of what he's done, he has made us worthy. To offer him worship that is worthy. Let's pray, Gracious God, Heavenly Father, the one who was and who is and who is to come, the God and Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God. We bow before you, acknowledging that Christ is indeed worthy of our worship, the worship we offer with our lips, and the worship we offer with our lives. Grant by your grace that we might make much of Christ. Grant by your grace that we might see the magnitude of his worth. Grant by your grace that we might see the magnitude of our sins that have been forgiven, the magnitude of the grace that has been extended to us, and the magnitude of the privilege that is ours to be deemed worthy to worship the land