WHERE ARE YOU LORD?

REVELATION 5:1-7

            Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Revelation chapter 5. As we closed out Revelation chapters 2 and 3 we closed out the Church Age, moving from the apostolic church of the first century to the apostate church of the last days!

            Now the scene has shifted from earth to heaven as John is caught up to the throne of God beginning in Revelation chapter 4. And we saw how John is a type or picture of the church who will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, the Rapture, prior to the start of the 7 year Tribulation Period. It is during that period of time that the Lord will pour out His wrath upon a Christ rejecting world prior to His second coming and the establishment of His kingdom on this earth.

            In chapter 5 of Revelation the scene is still in heaven but the focus now is not God the Father who is seated upon the throne, or the Holy Spirit who is around the throne as we saw in chapter 4, but now the focus is Jesus Christ.  And on Thursday we went through what the focus of Revelation chapter 5 is all about and in great detail, you can get the CD if you missed it. This morning I believe the Holy Spirit is speaking to us individually, there is a message that is specifically for each of us as we are going to see.

            Now, before we get to our text this morning, let me share with you this true story that will help set the stage for what we will be looking at this morning. We are told:

The famous Thomas Nast, in a public exhibition of his skill, once performed a strange feat with his brushes.  Taking a canvas about six feet long by two feet wide, he placed it nearly horizontal upon an easel before his audience, and began to sketch rapidly a landscape.  In quick succession appeared green meadows with cattle, fields of grain, the farmhouse and surrounding buildings, with orchard near; while, over all, the bright sky, with fleecy cloud, seemed to pour heaven’s benediction upon the scene below.  At length no finishing touch was necessary.  Still the artist held his brush, as he stepped aside to receive the hearty plaudits [applause] of the admiring audience. 

When the applause had subsided, Mr. Nast stepped back to the canvas, as he had not quite completed the picture.  Taking darker colors, he applied them most recklessly to the canvas.  Out went the bright sky.  “Did you ever see a picture like this?”  he asked, as he blotted out the meadows, fields, orchards, and buildings. Up, down and across passed the artist’s hand, until the landscape was totally obliterated, and nothing but a daub [blob], such as a child might make, remained.  Then, with a more satisfied look, he stepped aside, laying down his brush as if to say, “It is finished.”

But no applause came from the perplexed audience, and Nast then ordered the stage attendants to place a gilded frame around the ruined work of art, and to turn it to a vertical position.  The mystery was revealed, for before the audience stood a panel picture of a beautiful waterfall, the water plunging over a precipice [bluff] of dark rock, skirted with trees and verdure [vegetation].  It is needless to say that the audience burst into rounds of applause.

- Ludlow

            I think that is a powerful lesson for us to not only understand, to learn but to also apply to our lives. You see insufficient information can lead to a faulty conclusion. The artist, this painter knew what hew as trying to accomplish but the people in the audience didn’t and because of that they were bewildered by what they saw, they didn’t get it.  That is what we will see here in Revelation chapter 5, insufficient information leads to a faulty conclusion, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  With that said, let’s begin reading in Revelation chapter 5, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us this morning.

REVELATION 5:1-7

            In these seven verses I see 4 points that are being made, you can call them the 4 C’s of Revelation chapter 5.  These points are as follows:

·        THE CONDITION – REVELATION 5:1-3

·        THE CONCLUSION – REVELATION 5:4

·        THE CORRECTION – REVELATION 5:5

·        THE CONFIDENCE – REVELATION 5:6-7

            My prayer as we go through this portion of Scripture is that you would be blessed, encouraged by what the Lord has for you.  And so, with the remainder of our time this morning, let’s look at these 4 points here in Revelation chapter 5.

1.  THE CONDITION – REVELATION 5:1-3

            As we saw on Thursday, this scroll that was in the Father’s right hand was the title deed to the earth. You see, when Adam sinned that which was entrusted to him was handed over to Satan who is called “the ruler of this world” and “the god of this age.”

            And as this scene begins to unfold we see a strong angel step forward and proclaim, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loosen its seals?”  And as this plea went out, no one stepped forward. Now please understand that the question is not “Who will” but “Who is worthy” to step forward.  Many people tried to control this world from Satan to men like Hitler, Stalin, Alexander the Great and-so-on.  They were WILLING but they were not WORTHY!

            And so the CONDITION here is that no one was worthy to step forward and take this scroll out of the Father’s right hand. No one was able to open this scroll or even look at it!  The title deed of the earth would be in the hands of the usurper, Satan forever!

            How does that relate to us, personally speaking?  What condition are you in?  What are you going through right now?  Maybe it is a loss of a job, or a marriage that is on the rocks, or children that are out of control.  Maybe it is the loss of a family member or a friend.  Maybe it is financial trouble or legal trouble or you have significant health issues.  And we are powerless in these situations, we may be willing to help but we are not worthy, we don’t have the power to do so.  And as we are powerless in these situations our hearts cry is “Who can step forward and release me from this condition I am in?”  And as we look at it we are not worthy and thus it is hopeless, there is no one to help us out of this CONDITION we are in.  Do you know what happens next? The second point of our study is manifested in our lives.

2.  THE CONCLUSION – REVELATION 5:4

            As John sees this taking place, that no one is worthy to step forward and take the scroll out of the Father’s right hand, he begins to weep bitterly.  He is totally overwhelmed with what he is seeing and the CONCLUSION that he comes to is, “We’re doomed!”  He lost the perspective of things and he sees the earth under the control of the usurper, Satan forever!  It is the cry of total helplessness and despair!

            How does this relate to us individually?  We might say, “Lord, where are you?”  And as we do we might come to the faulty conclusion that He is not able to help us in the condition we are in.  It doesn’t seem fair, it doesn’t seem right and we can even get mad at God for allowing these things to happen to us.  Maybe you are weeping like John over the mess in your life, the violence you see, the injustices that are going on, the devastating diseases or illnesses that affect our loved ones or us and you are brought to tears over what you see.  You see no hope in sight, there is no way to resolve this. Folks, God does not want us to be in a condition like that or come to a faulty conclusion about the situation we are in.  He wants us to have a correct perspective on things, on the situations we go through.  What can be done to change this? Let’s read on and look at the next point!

3.  THE CORRECTION – REVELATION 5:5

            Here we see one of the elders, who represent the church, step forward and CORRECT John’s misinterpretation of the situation he was in.  Yes, no one was able to step forward and take the scroll out of the Father’s right hand EXCEPT for Jesus!  And Jesus is described as the lion from the tribe of Judah. He is strong, He is powerful, He can do it!

            Now, how does that relate to us individually?  Folks, I don’t care what you are going through, how difficult it is, you need to look to Jesus to help see you through it.  Here we see one of the elders stepping forward and pointing John to Jesus and folks, as brothers and sisters in the Lord, we can help by pointing each other back to the one that can help, Jesus.  We need to be there for each other, that is what the body of Christ is about!  Also, God’s Word helps point us to the one that can help, Jesus.  Peter put it this way in I Peter 5:7, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”  In other words, all your worry, all your cares, all your anxiety, you need to give to Jesus because He cares for you and He can handle it, we can’t!

            And let me ask you this. All the worry you are doing, all the anxiety you are putting yourself through, all the sleepless nights you have, has it helped the situation at all?  You don’t have to answer that, I know the answer, it hasn’t helped you one bit but it has hurt you. Thus, give it to Jesus, trust in Him, put Him in the center of what you are going through because that is where our help comes from!

            Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  What are we to be anxious about?  NOTHING!  Now some worry about nothing, but that is not what Paul is saying here.  Don’t worry at all because your heavenly Father is in control. You see, as we give our cares to Jesus, as we cast our anxieties upon Him He will guard our hearts or our emotions. He will guard your mind or your thoughts. His peace will fill your life, a peace that surpasses all understanding! 

            But how can I do that?  Read in Philippians as Paul says starting in verse 8, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”  Philippians 4:8-9.  You see, fill yourself up with the things of God and His peace will be with you, live what you say you believe. Yes, it is not easy but that is where faith comes in as we put Jesus in the middle of our troubles and we have this peace that surpasses all understanding!

            Listen to this story and you will see what I mean about surrendering to the one who is in control. We are told:

            In How Life Imitates the World Series, Dave Bosewell tells a story about Earl Weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles.  Sports fans will enjoy how he handled star Reggie Jackson. Weaver had a rule that no one could steal a base unless given the steal sign.  This upset Jackson because he felt he knew the pitchers and catchers well enough to judge who he could and could not steal off of. So one game he decided to steal without a sign.

            He got a good jump off the pitcher and easily beat the throw to second base.  As he shook the dirt off his uniform, Jackson smiled with delight, feeling he had vindicated his judgment to his manager.

            Later Weaver took Jackson aside and explained why he hadn’t given the steal sign. First, the next batter was Lee May, his best power hitter other than Jackson. When Jackson stole second, first base was left open, so the other team walked May intentionally, taking the bat out of his hands.

            Second, the following batter hadn’t been strong against that pitcher, so Weaver felt he had to send up a pinch hitter to try to drive in the men on base.  That left Weaver without bench strength later in the game when he needed it.

            The problem was, Jackson saw only his relationship to the pitcher and catcher. Weaver was watching the whole game.

            We, too, see only so far, but God sees the bigger picture. When he sends us a signal, it’s wise to obey, no matter what we may think WE know.

- Marty Masten

            You see, we don’t always know what God is doing, but as we are going to see, He is in control.  This leads us into our last point here in Revelation chapter 5.

4.  THE CONFIDENCE – REVELATION 5:6-7

            We just saw Jesus described as the Lion from the tribe of Judah, a strong and powerful creature, and yet, when John turns to look he sees this little lamb as though it had been slain.  You see, Jesus still bears the marks of the crucifixion in His glorified body.  And the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world is coming back as the lion from the tribe of Judah to judge this world and those who have rejected Him as Lord and Savior.  You see, it is a free gift that we receive by faith, you can’t work your way into heaven, you can’t be good enough to get into heaven. That is Paul’s point in Ephesians 2:8-9 as he tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  Our righteousness, according to the Bible is like filthy rags before a holy and righteous God. But by faith in Jesus we can have the righteousness of Christ imputed into our lives. Again, Paul makes this point in II Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  Thus, it is the CONFIDENCE in knowing that He is not only worthy but He has gained the victory already!

            But how does this relate to us and the situations we are going through right now?  How often we wail and fret and get upset because we forget about the Lord, the victory He won on Calvary and that victory will come to its climax one day as He returns to set up His kingdom on this earth, He will receive that which He already purchased with the shedding of His blood!

            We have talked about this before but do we really believe what Paul said in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  You see, it is not that all these things that happen to us are good, but they are working together for our good. What does that mean?  Think of it like this:

            The pearl is one of the most highly prized jewels, yet these gleaming spheres are the result of an irritation. Pearls are formed when an irritant lodges in the flesh of an oyster – say a piece of shell. The oyster fights back by excreting layers of a hard substance from its mantle tissue.  This neutralizes the intruder, but it also forms the pearl.

            In the same way difficulties can provide irritants in our life, but if we “fight back” in the right ways the end result can be something very positive. This is not to say the irritants are in themselves something good, but that even from an irritant God can salvage good.

- Scott Higgins

            And please understand, our “fight back” is more of a surrender unto Jesus. Now, do you have that kind of CONFIDENCE in the Lord that He can do that?  That He can take evil or difficulties that come into our lives and use them for good?  You see, He can and He does!   Does that mean ever problem, every difficulty, every sickness in our life will be resolved?  I guess the answer to that would be “YES!”  Now, before you jump to the wrong conclusion, listen to what Paul said in Romans 8:18-23 and then I will expound on that.  He tells us, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” 

            Folks, one day we will be taken home to glory and these light afflictions that Paul mentions will be seen as a moment compared to the glory that is coming!  You see, all of this will be resolved one day, either on this earth and ultimately when we go home to be with the Lord, and we need to have that perspective.  That no matter what the Lord is teaching us down here, what we are going through, they are but for a moment and you can live with that mentality or you can live your life very bitter and angry.  You see, we are not God and we don’t know that the good that is happening in our lives is really good, nor do we know that the bad that is happening in our lives is really bad, only God knows as this story illustrates for us.  We are told:

            Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before – such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.

            People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused.  “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them. “It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?”  The man was poor and the temptation was great.  But he never sold the horse.

            One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable.  All the village came to see him. “You old fool,” they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him.  You could have gotten whatever price you wanted.  No amount would have been too high. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.”

            The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly.  Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?”

            The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact is that your horse is gone is a curse.”

            The old man spoke again.  “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone.  The rest I don’t know.  Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment.  Who can say what will come next?”

            The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money.  But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. He lived hand to mouth in misery of poverty.  Now he had proven that he was, indeed a fool.

            After fifteen days, the horse returned.  He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest.  Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke.  “Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.”

            The man responded, “Once again, you go too far.  Say only that the horse is back.  State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge.  How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You only see a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge?  You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book?  You read only one word of a phrase.  Can you understand the entire phrase?”

            “Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word.  All you have is a fragment!  Don’t say that this is a blessing. No one knows.  I am content with what I know.  I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”

            “Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing.  Twelve wild horses had returned with one horse.  With a little bit of work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.

            The old man had a son, an only son.  The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.

            “You were right,” they said.  “You proved you were right.  The dozen horses were not a blessing.  They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.”

            The old man spoke again.  “You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse?  No one knows. We only have a fragment.  Life comes in fragments.”

            It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country.  All the young men of the village were required to join the army.  Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured.  Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken.  There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.

            “You were right, old man,” they wept. “God knows you were right.  This proves it. Your son’s accident was a blessing.  His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever.”

            The old man spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you.  You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had to go to war, and mind did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or curse.  No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows.”

- Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm, pp. 144-147           

            Job is an example of someone who tried to figure out the how’s and why’s of what was happening in his life.  He loved the lord and yet great calamity came upon his life. He lost his children, his business, his servants, his health, even his wife came against him and his so-called friends.  And for 37 chapters Job is trying to figure this all out and then God steps in and asks Job if he was there when this world was created, if he is aware of all that is going on?  And Job found out that you are not going to understand the how’s and why’s of God but you must trust Him by faith.  He is in control!

Folks, that day is coming when Jesus will right the wrong in this world and He will set up His kingdom.  But don’t miss what He has for you right now.  He wants to cleanse you of your sins and reign on the throne of your heart.  Paul, in Ephesians chapter 2 says that outside of Christ you are like the walking dead. You meander through life without a purpose, whichever way the wind blows that is the direction you will go.  As the prince of darkness leads, you follow.  And in that people think they are free when in reality they are in bondage.

Listen to what Paul says of God’s great love for us, for sinful man, beginning in verse 4 of Ephesians chapter 2.  We read “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  Ephesians 2:4-9.

God wants to make you alive, but that is only done as you come to Christ.  It is a free gift, all you must do is receive it by faith.  Instead of going down the broad path that leads to death, come to Jesus Christ, the Door, the way to life, abundant life!

 Maybe you are like John, weeping over the mess your life is in.  Maybe you are weeping over the mess this nation or this world is in.  The violence, the crime, the injustice, the diseases, the death of so many, and it brings you to tears because you see no hope, no way to resolve this problem.  Maybe your family is a mess.  Your children or child is out of control.  Maybe your wife or husband seems so distant.  Maybe your job is not doing well, maybe you are on your way out.  Maybe financially you are heading towards bankruptcy.  Maybe your life is just a mess.  What is the Solution?  “ . . .>Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.’”   Our God is the God of redemption and He wants to put your life back together again.  Never forget that!  Just come to Him and ask Him to be Lord and Savior of your life, to restore back that which is falling apart, and He will, because He loves you that much!  Never forget His love for you!

Folks, may we learn to trust God, as we have seen here this morning.  May the CONDITION that we find ourselves in this morning not cause us to come to a faulty CONCLUSION and if it does may we have a brother or sister in the Lord to help CORRECT us or may the Lord through His Word and by His Spirit CORRECT us and help to give us the CONFIDENCE that the Lord one day will right the wrongs and we will be with Him in Paradise because He has the victory, won on Calvary and one day He will bring it all to fruition!  May the Lord help us to walk in faith trusting in Him for the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world is coming back as the Lion from the tribe of Judah!