WORTHY 3 LAMB SLAIN TO RECEIVE POWER, RICHES… REV 5.

After the redeemed had sung the new song, ‘worthy is the Lamb who was slain’, John heard the voice of ‘many angels around the throne, the living creatures (seraphim’s) and the 24 elders and voices of  (one hundred million of them) saying with a loud voice.’

‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive ‘power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.’ (5:12) What recognition the Lamb now received after the grueling suffering at the hand of sinful, religious leaders.  This contrasted with the humiliation and disgrace our beloved Lord endured at the hand of rebel me.  We shall examine each of these qualities and the reverse, which He endured.

Our Lord showed His almighty power many times during His earthly ministr4y.  For example, He commanded the winds and the waves to obey Him and they did. He turned the small buoy’s lunch of five Barley loaves and two small fish into a banquet for 5000 men, without women and children.  Possibly 25,000 hungry followers.  Such power.  He commanded the dead Lazarus to obey him, even after four days of corruption, to come forth from the grave. He did. Omnipotence. 

Contrast these experiences with the weakness shown in the hour of His arrest.  He permitted soldiers to bind Him and blindfold Him.  He laid aside His power to show His utter weakness and lack of resistance.  He gave His back to the smiters.  ‘They ploughed His back. ‘ They plucked out His hair by handfuls; oh, agonising.  He could have called on His Father to send 12 legions of angels to rescue Hi, but He quietly submitted in apparent feebleness.

But oh!  After He was risen from the dead, He self-proclaimed, ‘All power is given to Me in heaven and earth.  God ands make disciples of all nations.’  All the dynamite of eternity was unleashed with the risen \Son of God.  This power is available for you and me to reach men and women with the glorious message of the risen Savior.

And now this vast concourse around the throne announce He is worthy to receive power.’  Consider Wycliffe Bible Translators, who are calling for national workers to assist them reach every one of the 6000 language3s to be translated in the next 24 years.

The Jesus film from Campus Crusade for Christ had been shown to 4 billion people in600 languages with 400 million professing faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.  Driven by power.

He is worthy to receive riches. ‘ The risen Christ received the wealth of the Father, for ‘It pleased the Father that ‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge should dwell in Him.’  Christ received the adoration of all He had rescued when they cried ‘Worthy is the Lamb slain’.  The Father lavished such Resources on the triumphant Son. 

The redeemed poured their praises on the risen Lord, who possessed His people with great joy.  These enriched the Son of God, who was worthy or proper or fitting to receive such acclamation.

Jesus, the Virgin Mary’s son was born in poorest circumstances.  Mary was denied the privilege of a room in the inn.  The Lord was a refugee in Egypt until Herod had died.  He said, ‘The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’  I sensed this on the Christmas Eve in Israel during WW11 when I walked from our hospital onto freezing, snow-covered roads of Nazareth.  My woolen, army coat protected me, but our Lord had no such covering.  

Our Savior showed His poverty in asking for the Loan of a fishing boat.  He sought a friend’s home for the last Passover.  He had no grave, so a rich man provided one. .  Man dispossessed the Lord of glory of every form of riches.   Heaven said ‘He was worthy to receive riches.’  Eternal riches were superior to material wealth.

He was also worthy to receive wisdom’, or intelligence, knowledge, or skill, which is the meaning of the word.  Paul writes of this in 1 Corinthians 2: ‘ when I came to you, I did not come with excellence of speech or wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. He continued,’ For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.’ Most unbelievers cannot understand the death of God’s Son as the Father’s masterpiece of redemption.  It did not just seem wise to sacrifice your only dear Son for a rebellious world. Yet it was the Father’s masterpiece.

Paul had a unique approach, for ‘my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom but in demonstration of the spirit and of power. ‘  The purpose was clear; ‘That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.’ (V5)  Heavenly wisdom was vastly superior to earthly common sense.   Thank God that our faith stands when man or the devil opposes.

Paul wrote, that ‘it is not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing,’ But rather, ‘ We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory. God’s word told how the wisdom of God contained a mysterious element, (of course it must), for it was concealed or secret and had been part of God’s eternal plan. 

However, the ‘rulers of this age did not know the wisdom that was from above.  Obviously, ‘had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.’ (V8)

The gap between the wisdom of men and of God is highlighted in the cross of our Lord Jesus. The Greeks rejected the crucified One.  Their philosophy could not accept the humiliation of the Messiah.  However, the cross of our dear Savior was God’s only master plan for our redemption.  Have you submitted to it?

Paul wrote, ‘As it is written, ‘eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him. (V9)  Our human faculty cannot grasp what an all-wise and loving Father has prepared for those who bow at His feet.’

He had endured the cross; He had been buried in the grave; He had ascended on high; He had been enthroned by the Father and regaled with all the honours heaven could confer.  Now the just song was ‘Worthy is the Lamb to receive wisdom.’

Also, He was ‘worthy to receive strength’.  The word means ability, might, power, strength and force.  While on earth, the Son of God showed apparent weakness. For example, they drove Him out of his village synagogue after showing He had fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy He displayed His strength when He walked through the midst of them and went His way.  He humbled Himself as He rode in to Jerusalem on a modest donkey and its foal: not on the victor’s white horse.  Meekness was not weakness.  Yes, but they profoundly cried,  ‘Hosanna. Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord.’  

He appeared weak when the soldiers came to arrest Him.  However, when He said, ‘ I am He’, they crumbled before Him, squiring in the dust.  Then He allowed Himself to be bound with ropes, and later blindfolded.  His submission appeared weakness, but He was still God in the flesh. 

Continued in ‘ Worthy 4 the Lamb slain to receive power, blessing, honour and glory`