Sermon

Weep No More | Revelation 5:1-5 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Study Series)

Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

Open publisher episode ↗

Publisher transcript

Transcript

View source ↗
  1. I know our brother just prayed, but I'd like for us to pray once

  2. more before we open the Scriptures.

  3. Lord, we ask that You would help us as we unpack your word.

  4. We pray that you would guide us verse by verse, truth by truth,

  5. and that Lord, it would transform us.

  6. This is our ultimate desire. Renew us, refresh us, rejuvenate

  7. us. Do what only You can do in the

  8. human heart. We ask these things in the

  9. precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen and Amen after John

  10. faithfully obeyed the Lord Jesus Christ by sending out seven

  11. messages to seven specific ancient churches, churches that

  12. reflect the variety of conditions that churches can

  13. find themselves in today. The Lord transports him from the

  14. earth and brings them up to heaven by the Spirit, and He has

  15. a vision, and a vision that he experienced more specifically

  16. was a glimpse into the very throne room of God.

  17. And the one who sat upon that throne had the appearance, the

  18. appearance of Jasper and carnelian.

  19. And surrounding the throne was a rainbow that resembled an

  20. emerald. Coming from that throne were

  21. thunders, rumblings, lightning. And surrounding that throne were

  22. 24 other Thrones occupied by these elders who are mesmerized

  23. by the one who was sitting on that seat of power and majesty.

  24. Before that throne were 7 torches of fire that symbolize

  25. the Spirit of God. And on the sides of the throne

  26. you had these four living creatures and they were singing

  27. the praises of God and they were leading these elders to echo

  28. their refrain endlessly. And this breathtaking scene, all

  29. of it, every detail reflected perfectly off of this glass

  30. crystal like pavement that rested before the throne.

  31. And it was last week that you and I understood that this

  32. marvellous unveiling was meant to teach us that God's

  33. authority, God's sovereignty, God's power is above all.

  34. And not only is it above all, it is gloriously grand.

  35. It is faithful, it is accessible, it is righteous, and

  36. it is and it will be the center of eternal worship.

  37. All very helpful truths to lock in our minds and chain around

  38. our hearts, especially as we navigate through the challenges,

  39. the many challenges of the church and a rapidly changing

  40. world. But this vision that John

  41. experienced did not end at the end of chapter 4.

  42. It only continues and the reason why it continues is because the

  43. God who sits upon this awesome throne is triune.

  44. You see, the one that we were beholding last week together was

  45. no other than the Father. And the reason we can say that

  46. is because again, we identified that the Holy Spirit manifested

  47. as these torches of fires was located before the throne.

  48. And what we will read now as we open up chapter 5 is the Son of

  49. God who will majestically approach the throne of the

  50. Father in dramatic suspense. And although we might desire to

  51. seize the complete scene of this chapter and one message, we will

  52. only consider the 1st 5 verses before we partake of the Lord's

  53. Supper. And so I invite you now with

  54. great excitement and Glee to read with me Revelation chapter

    Revelation 5 chapter mention

  55. 5, beginning in verse one down to verse 5.

  56. And I will tell you from now the crescendo of this brief message

  57. will be verse 5, where we will encounter these beautiful 3

  58. words. Weep no more, Weep no more shall

  59. we begin. Revelation 5/1 Then I saw in the

  60. right hand of him who is seated on the throne a scroll written

  61. within and on the back sealed with 7 seals.

  62. And I saw a mighty Angel proclaiming with a loud voice,

  63. who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals.

  64. And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to

  65. open the scroll or look into it. And I began to weep a loudly

  66. because no one was found worthy to open the scroll to look into

  67. it. And one of the elders said to

  68. me, Weep no more. Behold, the lion of the tribe of

  69. Judah, the root of David, has conquered, so that he can't open

  70. the scroll and its seven seals. While these four living

  71. creatures were breathing out praise and these 24 elders were

  72. also showering the Father with their own adoration, something

  73. new catches John's eye. It was an item in the right hand

  74. of God, a scroll to be specific. And there are two details about

  75. the scroll that the Holy Spirit inspires John to pen in God's

  76. holy book. The first one is that there was

  77. content written within and around, it was completely

  78. covered with information. And 2nd to that there were 7

  79. seals that perfectly concealed the message of that scroll.

  80. Now the interpretation of these details is not too difficult to

  81. understand. To see that the there is things

  82. written within and on the back implies that God has a lot to

  83. say and that his message is complete and it's ready to be

  84. known. And following that, the the

  85. seals that keep this message out of view reveals that it's it's

  86. sealed, it's something that we can't see.

  87. It's not for any eye to behold per SE.

  88. And as we will discover, there is only one who is authorized to

  89. unfold the message and the content of the scroll.

  90. And although the scroll may seem mysterious at first, that has

  91. not left scholars and students of the Bible without the desire

  92. to discover and to try to make some kind of speculation of what

  93. is found in this hidden message. And there's a lot of debate, and

  94. there's a lot of conversations about it.

  95. I am those who believe that there doesn't even need to be

  96. any debate because all you got to do is continue to read on in

  97. the Bible to know exactly what's in the scroll.

  98. What is it about? So go to chapter 6 just to get

  99. an idea, to see the nature of the scroll beginning in verse 1.

  100. And I won't read all these verses, but just to give you an

  101. idea and just to convince you of what we're dealing with here.

  102. This is after the Lamb, who is Christ takes the scroll from the

  103. right hand of the Father. And we read in Revelation 61.

  104. Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals

  105. and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a

  106. loud, with a voice like Thunder, come.

  107. And I looked and behold, a White Horse and it's rider had a bow,

  108. and a crown was given to him and he came out conquering and to

  109. conquer. Verse 3, When he opened the

  110. second seal, I heard the second living creature say come.

  111. And out came another horse, bright red.

  112. It's rider was permitted to take peace from the earth so that

  113. people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

  114. Now we pause here and we see that this will continue.

  115. The seals will continue to be unlocked until we finally come

  116. to Revelation 8. And notice what we find in

  117. Revelation 8, verse one. When the Lamb opened the 7th

  118. seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

  119. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven

  120. trumpets were given to them. There's no question that these

  121. seals, the same seals that were covering the scroll that we find

  122. a Revelation 5, are connected to the enactment of God's judgement

  123. being unleashed upon the evil in the world proceeding and leading

  124. up to the establishment of the Son of God's Kingdom on the

  125. earth. In other words, the plain

  126. evidence of the text shows us that this scroll symbolizes

  127. God's sealed plan for His future and final judgments upon this

  128. world, which includes the redemption of His people.

  129. That's what we find here, and this interpretation should not

  130. surprise us because again, Revelation is saturated with Old

  131. Testament references and allusions.

  132. And if you've been reading the Hebrew Scriptures faithfully,

  133. then you'll remember that there are instances, there are

  134. examples, there are moments where we find some similar

  135. imagery that prepares us for what we are seeing here.

  136. So let me give you an example with the prophet Ezekiel.

  137. In Ezekiel chapter 1, the prophet also experiences a

    Ezekiel 1 chapter mention

  138. vision of the glory of God. And interestingly, he too

  139. encounters the four living creatures.

  140. And then when you come to chapter 2 of Ezekiel, like John,

  141. following his vision of the glory of God, the prophet is

  142. given a scroll. He's also presented a scroll.

  143. And listen to the description of the scroll from Ezekiel 29 and

  144. 10. And when I looked, behold, a

  145. hand was stretched out to me. And behold, a scroll of a book

  146. was in it. And he spread it before me, and

  147. it had writing on the front and on the back, and they were

  148. written on it. Words of lamentation and

  149. mourning and woe. So both Ezekiel and John saw

  150. scrolls with writing on both the front and the back, which

  151. emphasizes the vast number and the severity of the judgements

  152. that they record. But here's the main difference

  153. with Ezekiel's experience and John's.

  154. The scroll that Ezekiel received was opened.

  155. It was spread before him, whereas the the scroll on the

  156. right hand of the Father was sealed, perfectly sealed.

  157. Nothing of its decrees could be seen.

  158. Now that means something. Not anybody could reveal or

  159. execute the judgments, the plan of the culmination of human

  160. history. It wasn't available.

  161. It wasn't just thrown, It wasn't just given to anybody.

  162. No, it was secured and had to be somebody who is authorized to

  163. unfold them. And until they were broken, this

  164. is the most important part. Until those seals were broken,

  165. God's purposes will remain unknown and unfulfilled.

  166. That's the awareness that this heavenly gathering in Revelation

  167. 5 sense, which is why a mighty Angel finally proclaims the

  168. following in Revelation 5. Two, Who is worthy to open the

  169. scroll and break its seals? Who is worthy?

  170. And a universal search goes out. As the words of this Angel

  171. reverberated to every corner of the cosmos, the four living

  172. creatures remain silent, and the 24 elders sat still in their

  173. seats. All the myriad of holy angels

  174. looked at each other humbly, including Gabriel and the mighty

  175. Archangel Michael. That deafening quietness only

  176. continued as the sea of Old Testament prophets and kings and

  177. Saints were examined. Abraham didn't Step 4.

  178. Isaac didn't move an inch. Jacob was still David.

  179. No, no, no, not David, Samuel, Isaiah, None of the prophets.

  180. They were all sharing an awareness of their unworthiness.

  181. And that silence only continues as the sea of New Testament

  182. Saints and leaders heard the invitation of that Angel, and

  183. not a single one of them responded to this challenge.

  184. And after an indefinite period of searching, the quest for a

  185. worthy candidate came to its conclusion.

  186. No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open

  187. the scroll or look into it. Not one.

  188. Now go back to Revelation 5 three and read John's words very

  189. carefully. And no one in heaven or on earth

  190. or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it

  191. able highlight that wasn't able to open the scroll.

  192. What does that mean? Well, remember, we read in

  193. Revelation 6 how the breaking of each seal set into motion a

  194. spectacular event on the earth that would bring the world that

  195. much closer to its final cleansing and restoration.

  196. Therefore, to break those seals on the scroll implies that you

  197. have to have somebody who has the sovereign authority and

  198. power in order to do what carry out the affairs that it was

  199. designed to set into motion. Anybody can break a seal open.

  200. A child can do that. That's not the point.

  201. The point is, who is able to execute what the scroll demands,

  202. what it's planning to perform? And not a single creature in

  203. heaven, or the most religious or pious person on earth, or any

  204. spirit under the earth had the audacity to even entertain the

  205. possibility that they were able to break a single one of those

  206. seals and perform God's final program for human history.

  207. And what John discovered at this point, no one is able.

  208. No one to defeat Satan, no one to judge sinners, No one to

  209. restore our fractured universe. No one to redeem the faithful.

  210. No one to swallow up death forever.

  211. No one to establish God's Kingdom of peace and glory.

  212. No one to answer and fulfill prophetic promises that have yet

  213. to be accomplished. No one to make everything right

  214. once and for all. No.

  215. And John waited in this vision to see Is there anybody?

  216. Is there anyone? No one stepped forward, and as

  217. time went on, emotion began to well up from the depths of his

  218. being until he could no longer contain it.

  219. And what do we read in verse 4? And I began to weep bitterly.

  220. Now the weeping here is the same word to describe the weeping

  221. Jesus expressed after the triumphal entry.

  222. And he looked upon Jerusalem. It's the same word to define

  223. Peter's brokenness after he had verbally denied his master and

  224. Jesus looked at him in the book of Luke.

  225. So John's reaction to this is not some controlled

  226. disappointment with a few tears streaming down his cheeks.

  227. He's wailing, he shattered, he's falling apart in heaven of all

  228. places. Why such an intense reaction?

  229. Why weep? John 2 main answers.

  230. The first one is the fate of the world, and the second one is the

  231. object of his faith. The fate of the world was at

  232. stake. If no one could open that

  233. scroll, if there was no worthy candidate, then the world as

  234. we've always known it, as the as the history books has always

  235. written honestly about it, would remain in its cursed condition

  236. forever, without hope of redemption, no chance of

  237. restoration. So the cycles of sin and death

  238. would continue. The sorrows of sickness and

  239. disease would never end. The harassment and the deception

  240. of the devil and his demons will only intensify no end.

  241. Insight, true and lasting justice would never be executed.

  242. All the while, wickedness would prevail and grow and claim more

  243. victims because that new heaven and that new earth that was

  244. promised in which righteousness would dwell forever would never

  245. materialize. No hope.

  246. This world will remain and it will only decay more and more.

  247. But what about the object of John's faith?

  248. Do you remember where this is actually all taking place?

  249. Yeah, sure, John is in heaven by a vision, but he is suffering on

  250. an island called Patmos. On account of the word of God,

  251. of the testimony of Jesus. This man for most of his life

  252. put his faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

  253. And like you, his belief in Christ was more than just him

  254. being the Savior for sinners. We believe He's the soon

  255. returning King who complete humanity's rescue at the end of

  256. the age. So where is he?

  257. Where is he? Is he not the one who can open

  258. the scroll? Where can he be found?

  259. And tears began to flow because one reason why John is crying

  260. here is because the object of his faith, his trust, was being

  261. shaken. His confidence in Christ was

  262. being tested. Everything that he believed up

  263. to this point, the high price that he prayed with his life,

  264. would it be vindicated? The trust of millions of people,

  265. would it come to pass? So you see here, it's the fate

  266. of the world, and it's the object of John's faith that's

  267. causing him to react in this way.

  268. And although those are the two primary reasons for John's

  269. weeping, there's also a broader application for us.

  270. If you just zoom out, step back and look at this from a general

  271. perspective, I see John's tears saying something to you and I.

  272. That they testify of this man's desire to know God's will and to

  273. see it come to pass. That scroll had the purposes and

  274. the plans of God. They were concealed.

  275. They were out of view, yes. And primarily, who's going to

  276. open it? Who's going to, who's going to

  277. fulfil the final chapter of God's redemption, but also

  278. what's in the scroll? And he weeps.

  279. Do you hunger to know God's will?

  280. Where's your heart in discovering more of what God has

  281. made known in His Book, and to see it manifest in your life?

  282. The promises, the testimonies, the revelation.

  283. As I was meditating on this point even this morning, these

  284. verses came to mind from Psalm 119, verse 19.

    Psalms 119:19

  285. I am a sojourner on the earth. Hide not your commandments from

  286. me. And in verse 20, my soul is

  287. consumed with longing for Your rules at all times.

  288. Don't you love that? I'm a sojourner on the earth.

  289. So don't conceal Your commandments, Your truth, Your

  290. insight, Your treasures from me. What is he saying there?

  291. I'm just passing through this life.

  292. I only have a little window of time to discover the depths of

  293. who you are and to see things manifest in and through my life.

  294. So hide them, not from me. Do you pray like that?

  295. Here's another thing that I learned from this psalmist.

  296. The more this world is home to you, the less you're going to

  297. hunger for God's Word. I'm a sojourner on this earth.

  298. This is not my place. This is not permanent.

  299. This is not where I'm going to dwell forever.

  300. I'm not building any lasting Kingdom here.

  301. I'm just traveling through. So give me what's eternal.

  302. Give me what's going to last. Give me what I was really

  303. created for. So one potential reason why you

  304. find yourself not longing for deeper and wonderful treasures

  305. in the Scriptures, perhaps. Perhaps you got a little bit too

  306. comfortable here and you don't realize eternity and heaven and

  307. the things of the Spirit. But the psalmist says I'm just

  308. passing by. So give me what my soul

  309. ultimately craves. Hide not your commandments from

  310. me. Do you long for the same?

  311. I love how the psalmist says at all times his devotion to the

  312. truth is not sporadic, doesn't just get inspired at Maranatha

  313. conference once a year for a couple of days.

  314. It's a conviction that sits the foundation of his heart.

  315. It's true, it's who he is. So it's either that that is

  316. really something you can say Amen to, even though it's not

  317. perfect. And I can say it's not perfect

  318. for me either. The flesh tends to erupt and

  319. challenge that desire. But do you find yourself more

  320. indifferent to the scrolls that God has given us here?

  321. Let me put it this way. Are you content to remain in

  322. ignorance or do you even find your heart being moved because

  323. there are moments where you can't pursue deeper

  324. understanding and you so want to?

  325. John's reaction to being denied to some degree.

  326. What that scroll was holding is a wonderful example for you and

  327. I and how we should relate to what God has given us into our

  328. hand. There's no seal on this book.

  329. You can have it in digital screens, you can have it in

  330. hearing, you can have it in leather, goat skin.

  331. You can have it in so many ways. But your heart, Lord, I want to

  332. know more of you. I want to know all your

  333. promises, all your warnings, all the things that you have made

  334. plain and the things that are not so obvious.

  335. Oh God, hide not your commandments from me.

  336. And John's weeping now was interrupted in the main verse of

  337. our message. Let's come back to it, to

  338. Revelation 55. One of the elders spoke up, and

  339. he offered some of the most incredibly comforting words in

  340. all of the Book of Revelation. Weep no more, John.

  341. You don't have to cry like this anymore, don't you?

  342. Don't you know that there is One who is worthy to open the scroll

  343. and to look into it? Did you forget?

  344. And I want to make the case today, before we partake, that

  345. the solution to John's sorrow is the same for ours.

  346. Being reminded of the fact that our Savior has conquered.

  347. He's the living conqueror. Isn't that what he says?

  348. Behold, the line of the tribe of Judah.

  349. The root of David has conquered, which means 2000 years ago Jesus

  350. lived a perfect life of obedience, and he died a

  351. vicarious death. And because he did so perfectly,

  352. whatever he started he will finish.

  353. Neither Satan's sin nor death will have the final word Jesus

  354. conquered, which means he will vindicate the persecuted church,

  355. and it means that He will glorify believing loved ones

  356. that you and I have lost to accidents and illness.

  357. It means that He will prove himself faithful to every

  358. unbelieving, blasphemous generation that has ever lived.

  359. It means that Christ will finally create a world free from

  360. the effects, every effect of the fall, for us to live in

  361. perfectly in His glorious presence forever.

  362. Weep no more. However, the eldest words carry

  363. deeper meaning. He reminds John of two titles

  364. relating to Jesus Christ. The first one is that he is the

  365. lion of the tribe of Judah, and the second that he is the root

  366. of David. Now from just an aerial

  367. perspective, that says something about the humanity of Jesus and

  368. the divinity of Jesus, the lion of the tribe of Judah.

  369. This truth affirms the humanity of our Messiah, that he

  370. descended from a real tribe within the people of Israel.

  371. He's from the tribe of Judah, truly man.

  372. But he is also the root of David, and the root of David

  373. implies something about his preexistence, that in the same

  374. way a root is the source of life to a plant.

  375. Jesus Christ existed before David, and he was the very

  376. source of his lineage. He's the root, which is amazing.

  377. You don't have to turn there, but this is a Direct Line in

  378. prophecy, a reference to the prophecy found in Isaiah 1111,

  379. verse 10, where we're told the root of Jesse, the root of

  380. Jesse, all the nations, all the Gentiles will inquire of him.

  381. And Paul quotes Isaiah 1110 in Romans to say this is Christ,

  382. this is Christ and bringing in the Gentiles to him, the root of

  383. Jesse. But in Isaiah 11 one we're told

  384. that he's the branch of Jesse. Well, how can you be the root

  385. and the branch? Again, even within that chapter

  386. you have something about the pre existence of Christ.

  387. He's the root, but he's also the branch.

  388. He's a descendant. He's coming from this family,

  389. this lineage. And if that wasn't glorious

  390. enough, here's the the heart of what this elder is saying to

  391. John. What's the essence of his

  392. message when he says the line of the tribe of Judah, the root of

  393. David has conquered so that he can open the scroll and it's 7

  394. seals. It's plain whatever God promised

  395. from the beginning, he will fulfill.

  396. He will fulfill. Because again, you see that

  397. these are titles of the Messiah that was predicted in the Hebrew

  398. Scriptures. And the root of David comes from

  399. Isaiah 11, but there's one that's even earlier than that.

  400. The lion of the tribe of Judah comes from the book of Genesis.

  401. And that's what we're going to turn to in our final passage

  402. together. Go to Genesis 49, and this is

  403. when Jacob gives a prophetic benediction to each of his sons,

  404. the immediate tribes of Israel. And when he comes to Judah, I

  405. want you to see what he says because this is what the elder

  406. is doing. He's reaching back to this

  407. prophecy and he's saying John, Jesus is a fulfillment of what

  408. was prophesied in Genesis 49. Look at verse 8 with me.

  409. Judah, your brother shall praise you.

  410. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies.

  411. Your father's son shall bow down before you.

  412. Judah is a lion's cub. You have gone up from the prey,

  413. my son. He stooped down.

  414. He crouched as a lion and as a lioness.

  415. Who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart

  416. from Judah, nor the ruler staff from between his feet until

  417. tribute comes to him. And to him shall be the

  418. obedience of the peoples. What a shock this must have been

  419. to the brothers who are hearing their fathers say this about

  420. Judah. Why is this a surprise?

  421. Why is this startling? Because the family of Israel was

  422. very few in number. They're still in Egypt when this

  423. was given. They haven't even entered into

  424. the promised land. And yet we read here that Judah

  425. and his descendants will have preeminence among his brothers

  426. in that they will be in a position of rulership over his

  427. brothers. So you're talking about a king

  428. and a Kingdom, and here you are still renting a neighborhood in

  429. the land of Egypt. It's fascinating, and we know

  430. that this is speaking about a king and a Kingdom because of

  431. the imagery of a scepter. You've probably seen one, a

  432. staff with ornaments that symbolizes sovereignty and power

  433. and majesty. So in practical terms, what is

  434. this prophecy conveying? It's saying that eventually

  435. kings were going to arise from the line of Judah.

  436. And what you find as you continue in the Old Testament is

  437. that the seed form of this prophecy began to sprout with

  438. King David, and it blossomed more and more with the

  439. succeeding kings following him. As we've been studying in first

  440. and second kings, David's line through Judah would govern the

  441. Kingdom of Judah. But this is a detail in the

  442. prophecy that many people miss. Look back at verse 10 of Genesis

  443. 49. What does he say?

  444. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler staff

  445. from between his feet, until tribute comes to him, and to him

  446. shall be the obedience of the peoples.

  447. Now some of you may be looking at me because you're saying why

  448. does your Bible say that? My Bible says something

  449. different. Virtually every other word for

  450. word translation will render the same verse in the following way

  451. until Shiloh comes. Anybody have that word in their

  452. Bibles? I guess most people here read

  453. the ESP then until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the

  454. obedience of the people. You'll find that in the new King

  455. James. You'll find that in the King

  456. James. You'll find that in the NASB.

  457. So then why does the ESV say until tribute comes to him?

  458. It's because the etymology, the root word for Shiloh, is quite

  459. complex. It's quite complex in the Hebrew

  460. and and one of the variant definitions of this word is he.

  461. To him it belongs, or that which belongs to him.

  462. And that's that's why the scholars behind this translation

  463. chose this following phrase to put into this prophecy.

  464. But no matter what version you have, one thing is unmistakably

  465. clear. This prophecy points to a

  466. specific individual. It anticipates somebody from the

  467. royal line of Judah, a person, not just a position, not just

  468. the government, but one particular individual.

  469. There is one king who will exercise universal reign, and he

  470. will bring unprecedented authority to the nations.

  471. And this king is something and someone Israel and indeed the

  472. whole world should be expecting. Look at again.

  473. Until tribute comes to him and to him shall be the obedience of

  474. the peoples. Genesis.

  475. Then you go to Revelation and this elder and this heavenly

  476. vision looks to Johnny says the lion of the tribe of Judah is

  477. here. What God said in Genesis is now

  478. being realized in Revelation. You know what's so amazing to

  479. me? That title for Christ, the lion

  480. of the tribe of Judah is exclusively found in the Book of

  481. Revelation. I'm thinking why not use it

  482. more? It's powerful, the lion of the

  483. tribe of Judah. Why did the Holy Spirit keep it

  484. until the last book of divine revelation?

  485. Because it is a title appropriate for the second

  486. coming of Christ, that's why. And that's partly the reason why

  487. the Pharisees and the Jews could not accept that Jesus Christ of

  488. Nazareth was the Messiah. Where is the lion like Savior

  489. and king? Come on, we gave you three years

  490. and we're still oppressed. Tear them apart.

  491. Deliver us once and for all. Own this place.

  492. Jacob said that a lion would come, a king would come.

  493. Here You are, just travelling with some of these unlearned

  494. man. Yeah, you're doing miracles here

  495. and there, but come on, let's see it come to pass.

  496. And even up to the final moments of his life, they were tempting

  497. him to prove himself. You know, some people think that

  498. the Pharisees had good intentions and they were just

  499. confused because they were just going with what the Scriptures

  500. had to say. And it seemed like Jesus was a

  501. little bit too ambiguous. No, the Pharisees were

  502. intentionally ignorant because the same Hebrew Bible that says

  503. there is one coming like a lion also portrays him as a lamb.

  504. He is a lion, but he first must come as a lamb, and he must lay

  505. down his life as a sacrifice. And that is why, interestingly,

  506. in the same vision of Revelation 5, the Elder tells John the lion

  507. of the tribe of Judah is here. And when he looks for him, you

  508. find in the following verses that he finds instead of what?

  509. A lamb. I'm getting ahead of myself

  510. here, so I'm going to reel back here.

  511. What do we take from this John? There needs to be no need to

  512. weep. For what reason?

  513. 1 Main reason. God is faithful to His promises.

  514. Everything that He has said you can trust completely.

  515. I love this. I love connecting the Bible

  516. because you have something God said from Genesis and now in

  517. Revelation, he's saying here it is.

  518. Here's the realization of it. And yes, we're dealing with not

  519. weeping in terms of God fulfilling his promises in the

  520. end of the age. But let's, let's apply it today.

  521. Let's apply it now. Listen, you and I would have

  522. fewer tears and greater relief if we just really believed God,

  523. if we really just took Him at His word, if we had an ache and

  524. a long longing to know all that He has to say, all that He has

  525. revealed, we would strengthen our souls.

  526. We would have more smiles and less frowns.

  527. I'm reminded when Jesus hid himself on the road to Emmaus,

  528. when those two disciples were dejected, walking back after an

  529. eventful weekend in Jerusalem, and when the stranger supposedly

  530. asks them, what are you guys talking about?

  531. The scripture tells us in Luke 24 that they were sad and they

  532. began to explain the events relating to Jesus Christ of

  533. Nazareth who was crucified, and they had hoped that he would be

  534. the deliverer for Israel. What is Jesus Christ prescribed

  535. to these heavy hearted disciples?

  536. Let me read to you one verse. Luke 2425 And he said to them, O

  537. foolish ones, and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets

  538. have spoken. The remedy to your pain and the

  539. clouds that hide the blessing and the happiness that your soul

  540. can experience is your darkness pertaining to the Word of God.

  541. It's your blindness, it's your unwillingness to take in not

  542. just some, but all that the prophets have spoken.

  543. I suggest to you today that you can know greater joy if you have

  544. a greater investment in the truth and not just familiarizing

  545. yourself with it, but asking God for the faith to clutch onto and

  546. to believe it with all that is within you.

  547. I love how this elder in Revelation turns to John and

  548. reminds him of scriptural truths to stop his tears.

  549. Is there any difference for us? Let's emphasize over and over

  550. with these two disciples. Here's how I'm going to provide

  551. a balm for your souls. Consider all that the prophets

  552. have spoken. So here's what we're leaving

  553. with today. Here's how we're going to

  554. prepare to remember what Christ has done.

  555. This is what Revelation 51 to 5 has left us with #1 in terms of

  556. application. May we be like this man who

  557. longed to know the will of God, who longed to see it

  558. accomplished. But may we also prescribe this

  559. to our own souls, that the revelation of Christ being a

  560. living conqueror and the things that were said about him He

  561. fulfilled, and the things that he said about anything, we must

  562. trust wholeheartedly if we are going to be able to sail the

  563. seas of a church that is frequently battered in a world

  564. that is growing and evil. Only then will we know more

  565. song, less tears, more joy, less sorrow.

  566. May we come and remember what He has done for us, together with

  567. hearts filled with faith. Lord, we ask as we praise you,

  568. that you would be blessed by what you see in here.

  569. And we choose to remember today that you were the fulfillment of

  570. ancient predictions that your Son, Jesus Christ is the true

  571. Savior of the world. And Lord, if there are tears for

  572. any reason today, may we sense the truth soothing our hearts so

  573. that our eyes can come to life again as we behold the One who

  574. is worthy to open the scroll and to look into it.

  575. We thank You that with all the updates of the horrors that are

  576. being committed in our city around the world, the tragedies,

  577. the disasters, the floods, the earthquakes, the wars, our world

  578. will change. One day you will redeem

  579. everything and you will be worshipped for it forever.

  580. But we choose to worship you now as we reflect on how you have

  581. redeemed us and how one day you will rescue us forever and ever.

  582. We pray these things with great faith in Jesus name, Amen.