Revelation 5:2-13: "Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the scroll and loose its seals? 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 worthy to open and read the scroll or look at it. But one of the elders said unto me, do not weep but 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 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. Then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne and when he had taken the scroll the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb, 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. 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 x 10,000 and thousands and thousands saying in a loud voice saying, "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 as such that are in the sea and all that are in them I heard saying, Blessing and honor and glory and power to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb forever and ever".
Father, this morning we thank you that you are in this place. Lord, we celebrate who you are to us. May we decrease and may you increase, in Jesus name. Amen
Of course the symbols that are in the Book of Revelation are amazing and we won't get into all of that today but what you are seeing in this scene of heaven is every creature that has been made and has lived and is living and has been made by the Lord celebrating Jesus Christ, the lamb of God. There was no one in heaven that was found worthy to open the scrolls; no one that was found worthy that could begin to declare what was going to happen in the end and to take back what God had created.
The Bible says that when John began to see this scene at the very end of time and that there was no one to do it he began to grow sorrowful. Then all of a sudden he began to have a revelation of Jesus. Out of the very center of heaven comes Jesus with the answer who has already made a way and he takes that scroll and begins to open it and to declare not only the glory of God but that the will of God is finished. All of heaven and earth erupts in praise for the Lamb of God who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This wasn't some kind of little praise that went on. All of a sudden all of creation begins to shout that he is worthy. The Bible says that every creature in heaven and earth begin to sing the praises of God. How many know that we are going to be a part of what we just saw happening in the future? This is a glimpse of what is going to take place and those who know Jesus Christ are going to be at this scene. We will see what John saw and we will erupt in praise at that time in history.
The Bible is given for many reasons. One is that it helps us to realize that Jesus is worthy. He's worthy of our worship, he's worthy of our everything. He is worthy to receive glory and honor and power and riches, strength and blessing and wisdom and victory and dominion. All of that belongs to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's our God.
Everything is changing, that's why it's called popular culture. What's in right now will soon be out and won't be popular then someone will discover it again and it will be popular again. The one thing that is consistent is that Jesus is worthy. He's not hip, he's not trendy and many times he's not popular but Jesus is definitely worthy. In our world where nothing seems to retain its value for long, Jesus has always been valuable from the very beginning when he created everything and he will be until he comes back to take us home and he overcomes the enemy with absolute power and authority. He is worthy.
Jesus is worthy of our worship. The word "worship" finds its origin in the idea of worthiness. As a matter of fact our worship is actually an act of "worthship", placing significant worth and value upon Jesus. When you have something of value you take care of it, you treasure it, not just sometimes but all the time. How many of you have something in your possession that you would never give away and you make sure that it's in a nice place and all taken care of? He's worthy of our praise.
Jesus is worthy of our exaltation. He is worthy of our adoration and our thanks. Something of worth has great weight in our life and Jesus is worthy of having a substantial place in our life. As a matter of fact, not just a substantial place but first place.
Very little in our culture impresses us anymore or gets us excited. The truth is we are so stimulated, over caffeinated, and highly agitated that very little moves us on a regular basis. But something happens when you get a revelation of Jesus. I don't believe that what is happening in our day and age, all the things that get us worked up and we're not afraid any longer. We can watch tv and get scared and then fear goes away. Our entertainment is meant to keep us on edge all the time, so much so that when we finally get a chance to relax there's really nothing that impresses us. We could watch a car wreck and still drive right by it because we've seen it a hundred times on tv. The other day driving across the bridge from Tequesta there was a car that was on fire and people just drove by it, they weren't impressed. A few people stopped to help and finally the ladies car was so enveloped in smoke that it took fire rescue to get her out.
True worship of God is not an exercise of religious ritual. It is the true inward expression of a life that God has touched and is grateful for what he's done. How many are grateful for what Jesus has done inside of you? It is more than admiration but I believe that there is something special God is doing in the lives of believers today that is restoring our awe of who God is, restoring an absolute intensity of our desire for the Lord. I believe that God is getting a hold of our young people, he's getting a hold of our old people and our middle aged people so that we get a hold of who Jesus is and so we'll love him with everything that is inside of us once again. We won't be unimpressed when we come to church or when we read the word in the morning because God has locked something so deep inside of us that we know who Jesus is and we love him.
John 4:23-24 says, "The hour is coming and now is when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father is seeking such to worship him. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth".
Spirit and truth means that our thinking and our mind is engaged as well as our emotions. It is not just something that we cognitively recognize that he is God and it is not something that we emotionally get worked up over and then let it go because it doesn't mean anything anymore. It is something that has happened inside of the believer that says, "I worship him because he is everything to me. I understand what he has done and he has touched me deeply". You can't fake that. It's something that God does inside. He is worthy of authentic, enthusiastic praise; one that reflects the way we love him and one that reflects the way our soul and our mind has been strengthened. It's genuine, not a ritual but an expression of the heart that's in love with the savior of your soul. It recognizes all that he has done and all that he is about to do.
We are not very far from Revelations being completely fulfilled and Jesus is coming back very shortly. That used to get the church excited, that used to get something going. All who recognize who he is and what he has done are never the same and don't want to hold back all the worship that is due his name. Many times when you see people worship, it almost looks like the long buildup to an anti-climax. Sometimes when you hear people talk about God and you ask them, "Has God been good to you?" and the response is "Yeah". "How worthy is God?" "He is worthy". "Are you thankful for what he's done"? "Yes, thank you Jesus". It's like listening to a guy at a cheap used car auction that's got very little to do.
We're going to be around that throne in heaven and that scene that exploded was not an unemotional "Thank you, for you are worthy of praise, honor and glory". Something happens inside of the believer and then the church begins to sing and explode "He is Worthy, He is Worthy, He is Worthy, He is Worthy of all praise, Hallelujah, He is Worthy. He is the King of Kings and the Lamb of God who has saved us and set us free. He is the soon coming King who will reign forever and ever and we'll be by his side. It's the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. He is the Lord of Lords. He is the King of eternity. Worthy is the lamb of God". Lift your voice and give the Lord a shout of praise. Lord, we give you glory for you are our Savior and our Lord in spirit and in truth.
What has happened to the church that we are so unimpressed by the Lord? He is worthy. When praise begins to erupt out of the people of God, he is worthy of our praise. He is worthy because he is our savior. In Revelation we see here the song of the redeemed by people whom God has saved and set free and they're never the same again. We're asking God to come and help us to reach this city for Jesus but what kind of a believer are people going to see in you and me? Are they going to see a people who just kind of love God or do they see a people who have been changed?
I know what God has brought me out of; I know what I used to be. I know where I came from and I know what he wants to do. I've seen people saved out of drugs, people saved out of shame and people who have absolutely been changed, people who have been brought out of so much and have been deeply hurt and then healed. They've gone from tears to celebration and then we bring them into church and somehow we get this church thing going and tell them not to get too excited. Then our teenagers see that and we can't understand why they have no power to overcome sin in their life. We don't understand why they keep getting drawn to the same temptations time and again.
In Revelations we see these people around the throne of God. Verse 9 says, "And they sang a new song saying you are worthy to take the scroll and open up the seals for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood". How many of you are thankful today for the blood of Jesus Christ? The Bible says that out of every tribe and tongue, people and nation we've been made Kings and priests. Look around this church for just a minute. I don't know if you've noticed but the nations are represented in this place. We have someone from Brazil, from Trinidad, the Ivory Coast, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Israel. Look what God has done. This is what heaven is going to look like. People don't all worship the same. Some people use an electric guitar; people in Africa may use a couple of bongo drums and are just happy to be loving on Jesus. There's a church downtown and all they have is a stand up piano and they're worshipping Jesus. How many know that our praise is the same in spirit and in truth? The song is given because of what Christ has done in us and he is worthy of praise.
A song was written, "Worthy is the Lamb, thank you for the cross, thank you for the price you paid. Bearing all my sin and shame, in love you came and gave amazing grace. Thank you for this love, thank you for your nail pierced hands. You washed me in your cleansing flow, now all I know is your forgiveness and embrace. Worthy is the lamb, seated on the throne, crown him now with many crowns. You reign victorious, high and lifted up, Jesus, Son of God, the darling of heaven crucified. Worthy is the lamb". That's our Lamb who was slain for our sins. Never discourage the praise of the redeemed. Never grow tired of the testimony of the saints of God.
Time after time there are days that I hurt so much and I grow tired but as soon as someone begins to share their testimony, though everyone has a different background I know where it's going. They came out of something and begin to share what God has done inside of them and now they are saved and God has set them free. Not only are they saved but they are healed and their life is moving forward. Families are getting better and their homes and children are getting better. That is the savior that we serve.
"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so". I'm going to say so and you can't shut me up. I've got to tell you what Jesus has done inside of me and no one should ever be able to shut you up either. Tell them what God has done. The Bible says that Jesus was able to open the scrolls and by doing that he sealed the devil's fate. He is lost. The Bible says in Revelations 12:11 that they overcame him by two things: the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony". There are a lot of people who say they don't believe the Bible or what it says, I don't understand or that they only believe half of it. Here's what I tell them, "If you don't believe the Bible then let me tell you what Jesus did for me. You might decide that you want to intellectually argue with this but you can't deny what God has done inside of me". We overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. Brag on Jesus. What he did in you is awesome and powerful and we need to be able to help others. By being open and authentic in relationship with them we begin to see what Christ can do inside of them.
He is worthy because he is the creator and sustainer of life. Revelations 4:11 says, "You are worthy O' Lord to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and by your will they exist and they were created". All you have to do the Bible says is to declare his glory. All you have to do is look around at nature and see that He is faithful. The Bible says that if we don't cry out and sing his praise the rocks will cry out in our place. There is no rock that is going to out praise me. When I went to the Grand Canyon you can't help but look over that thing and know that there is a God. I don't care if you think God made it immediately or that it was formed by the flood; it certainly didn't form over billions of years. But here's what I know, God made it one way or the other. When you stand there you are in awe and you know there's a creator and I was determined that there was no rock that was going to out praise me. He is Lord, he made this and it was fun. You've got to sing his praise.
He's worthy simply because he's the creator. In the natural we give our parents honor and respect. They are esteemed and cared for simply because they gave us life. Your parents brought you into this world and they are worthy of your respect. I like what Bill Cosby said to his son, "I brought you into this world and I'll take you out". Kids, your parents are worthy of respect. Church, he's our heavenly father and the very fact that he made you and me, if it wasn't for him we wouldn't be here and that's worth our praise. That's worth all the glory that we can give his name.
Those scrolls were the title deed to the earth and to the whole world, everything, and they were originally bound up because of what man originally did and they were locked into place. But Jesus walked up and took the title deed of everything he had ever made and created and he was able to redeem that through the blood that he shed on the cross. The title deed belongs to him. How many understand that you are the seed of God. He created you and he is worthy of praise. The Bible says that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Psalms 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's and all it's fullness, the world and all those who dwell therein". You belong to God. That doesn't mean that everybody is saved or that everybody is going to accept what Jesus did on the cross but everyone of them belong to the Lord because God made them all. You belong to God because he's the rightful owner and he's worthy of our praise. Sometimes you just don't feel like it but spirit and truth isn't always about feeling. One of the things in Pentecostal churches that we get confused about is feeling. Pentecostals are probably a little more emotional than most people and I'm ok with that. Some people say "Pastor, I'm just a little more refined". That's ok but he is worthy of your praise and don't you dare hold back. What he's done inside of you when you're saved, share his message and share his love. He is worthy of our lives reflecting the worth that he has invested in us.
When we accept him as our savior, our daily living is an act of worthship. There are three times in the New Testament that we are instructed to live worthy of what God has done. True worship done in spirit and in truth is not only reflected in the times where we celebrate God corporately or when we are being a witness for him but how we live our very life because of what he's done inside of us. Let me ask you, does your life reflect the Lord? You may say, "People kind of know I'm a Christian and sometimes I act like a Christian. My life kind of reflects the Lord; I'm honest and have a good attitude but when I'm driving in the car going through Publix I've got to get saved all over again".
Is my life an absolute reflection? Philippians 1:27 says, "Only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or am absent and hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind serving together for the faith of the gospel". One of the things that excite me the most is when I get calls from people. How many know preachers are people too? I love it when the life that I'm living here in Florida gets back to Pennsylvania and I didn't have to say a word. Someone that I hadn't seen in a long time called me and said, "Marvin, I heard what God is doing through your life".
Colossians 1:10 says, "That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God". 1st Thessalonians 2:12 says, "That you would walk worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory". If he can call you into his own kingdom then we need to act worthy of that kingdom and of that life that he's given us to live. He is worthy of all of our praise, all of our glory and all of our everything. "Whatever we do in word or deed brings glory to the Lord". When I realize who he is and all that he's done I must walk and live my life in a manner that is a reflection of all that Jesus did on the cross. How's your life doing? Knowing that he is worthy gives us confidence and faith as we praise him and as we walk in victory in life.
We live in a time where everything that can be shaken will be shaken. If the world thought that this current economic crisis is a big deal then they haven's seen anything yet. There will be a shaking that will cause the world governments to come together as one. There's stuff coming. I just prophesied to you but it's also in the word. There are things that you and I will go through in life that are not easy. In an article that J. Lee Grady wrote, he entitled it, "Don't let the devil eat your lunch". He reminds us that the Psalms are in the middle of the Bible because praise must be at the core of the Christian life. Praise is a powerful weapon for the enemy. It lifts us out of discouragement and sorrow and it causes us to speak faith instead of fear.
The Apostle Paul and Silas, when they wound up in jail, in the middle of the night they weren't sitting there feeling sorry for themselves or wondering what was going to happen with their life. They decided that they were going to praise the Lord their God and they sang the high praises of God. It was something that began to well up inside because of who they were and what God has done. God had changed them so deeply and they were never the same. This was Saul that became Paul, the man who stood there and held the coat as people stoned Steven and the people of God. He was on a personal crusade to eliminate every Christian on the face of this earth.
Paul had a Damascus Road experience where God changed his entire life and touched him so deeply. They were never going to be the same again. They had gone through too much, seen too much and known what God had done inside of them so that little jail wasn't going to cause them to lose their praise. Sometimes we have to deal with less finances. Sometimes someone hurts our feelings or we get sick or start to hurt but we're not going to lose our praise. How many know he is worthy of all of our praise? Paul and Silas began to worship the Lord. As they began to praise him the entirety of that jail began to shake. God ripped the door off its hinges and they emerged whole and it caught the entire Roman legion off guard. Somehow because of what God did, all the other prisoners stayed put: Criminals, murderers, thieves, they stayed put because of what God was doing in Paul and Silas and it became a testimony. He is worthy.
When that kind of understanding gets into the life of the believer, not only are you not the same but the people you come in contact will not be the same, our church will never be the same and this city will never be the same. He is worthy. It doesn't matter what kind of music is going on, it doesn't matter what style because we all have our style. The truth is that regardless of your preference and I'm not talking about just the praise, I'm talking about what's inside of us. It also reminds us of not only what he has done but about what he's going to do. He is our soon coming King. It's not a mistake that somehow the people of God have been experiencing a melancholy in their life. I would bet if I were to take a survey of how many people have been struggling with discouragement and depression I would get so many hands raised it would be outstanding. What combats that is the spirit and truth of what God has done. If the enemy can get you to keep quiet and close the windows on a bright sunny day and hide yourself in the house he can steal your praise and your testimony. People are watching, not just listening. Something happens when you realize he is worthy. When you begin to praise he begins to heal, cleanse and restore. Church, he is worthy.
We're going to sing his praises one more time; we're not going to just close in prayer. We're going to sing his praise because he is worthy. I don't know what's going in your life but he is worthy. I don't know what's going on with your finances but he is worthy. I don't know how bad you're hurting but he is worthy. I don't know when the last time was that you engaged your emotions but he is worthy. We're going to sing his praises. I don't know if you're used to lifting your hands but I dare you to give it a try. Again, it's not about just this. When you leave the four walls of this church he is still worthy.
"Jesus"
Morning star, Rising sun, Lily of the valley,
Rose of Sharon, Son of God,
Lifted up, glorified, praised through all the ages.
First and last, beginning and end,
Jesus, name above all names, my soul cries Jesus,
You're my sweetest song.
Jesus, echoing throughout all of the heavens, angelic hosts proclaim.
Close your eyes for a while in a quiet whisper,
Speak his name, taste and see. Feel the rush deep inside as his love surrounds you, let your heart awake and sing.
Jesus, name above all names, my soul cries Jesus,
You're my sweetest song.
Jesus, echoing throughout all of the heavens,
Angelic hosts proclaim, Jesus, Name above all names,
my soul cries Jesus,
You're my sweetest song.
Jesus, echoing throughout all of the heavens, angelic hosts
proclaim.
Jesus, we worship you this morning because of who you are and because of what you've done inside of us. Father we thank you today for every single thing that you are, our creator, our healer, our friend, our redeemer. Lord, today we join with the hosts of heaven with believers around the world declaring your worth of who you are. Jesus, I pray that for any of us in this place that have begun to walk away from that value of who you are and begun to treat lightly what you've done, I pray that you would begin to restore inside of each of us the reality of the significance of what you've done.
I pray God that what you would do in the life of this church would make us more alive than we've ever been not just with emotional displays of affection to you but with lives lived worthy of the call, lives lived worthy of the one that was slain for us. Lord, we commit ourselves afresh to you. I pray that if one person in this room doesn't know you as their savior that they would allow you to be revealed in them. Lord, I thank you that you cleanse us of our sins and that you are the only way to God the Father and that you became that way for us. So Lord, each of us today sing the high praises of God because we are thankful that you've changed our heart and have begun to change our thinking and we give you all the glory, all the power, all the praise and all the fame. All wisdom and dominion are yours and we worship you because you're our God. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, he is worthy, amen.
