Today, Friday April 01
Jesus is Worthy of All Praise Revelation 5:11-14
“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 ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: "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 such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!" Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.”
Remember that we have great reason and motivation to worship the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, first, because of who He is. Then we worship Him because of where He is, in the midst of the throne. And we worship Him for what He does! He is worthy of all worship because He alone can open the seals on this scroll, because He alone is the Redeemer of the world with the blood of His own sacrifice! Today, we learn to worship the Lamb, our Redeemer, for what He has! He has all power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing!
In this closing burst of praise, all the angels and every creature in the universe joined together to worship the Redeemer. What a cascade of harmony John heard! In this hymn, they stated those things that Jesus Christ deserved to receive because of His sacrificial death on the cross. When He was on earth, people did not ascribe these things to Him; for many of these things He deliberately laid aside in His humiliation.
He was born in weakness and He died in weakness; but He is the recipient of all power. He became the poorest of the poor (2 Cor. 8:9), and yet He owns all the riches of heaven and earth. Men laughed at Him and called Him a fool; yet He is the very wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24; Col. 2:3).
He shared in the sinless weaknesses of humanity as He hungered, thirsted, and became weary. Today in glory, He possesses all strength. On earth, He experienced humiliation and shame as sinners ridiculed and reviled Him. They laughed at His kingship and attired Him in a mock robe, crown, and scepter. But all of that is changed now! He has received all honor and glory!
And blessing! He became a curse for us on the cross (Gal. 3:13), so that we can never be under the curse of the broken Law. The worship service climaxed with all of the universe praising the Lamb of God and the Father seated on the throne!
And there was even a loud "Amen!" from the four living creatures! In heaven, we are permitted to say "Amen!"
Keep in mind that all of this praise centered on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. It is not Christ the Teacher, but Christ the Savior, who is the theme of their worship. Only those who have experienced His redemption through His blood will be able to join in this great chorus of praise!
All of heaven's praise came because the Lamb took the scroll from the Father's hand. God's great eternal plan would now be fulfilled and creation would be set free from the bondage of sin and death. One day the Lamb will break the seals and put in motion events that will eventually lead to His coming to earth and the establishment of His kingdom.
As you share in these heavenly worship services, do you find your own heart saying "Amen!" to what they have sung? You may believe in Christ as the Creator, but have you trusted Him as your Redeemer?
If not, will you do so right now? “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me”. (Revelation 3:20)
God bless!
コメント