November 10 Sermon: The Anthem of Heaven
In this message, we explore Revelation 5, where heaven erupts in worship, proclaiming the Lamb’s worthiness to open God’s redemptive scroll. Jesus, the Lion who conquered as a slain Lamb, unites believers across time and space in one anthem of praise. Join us as we uncover how this eternal song reshapes our hope and devotion.
Consider these questions as you listen to this week's message:
How does the Lion and the Lamb imagery in Revelation 5 shape our understanding of Christ’s victory?
In what ways does the anthem of heaven unite believers across different cultures and times?
How does seeing Christ’s worthiness in Heaven’s throne room encourage us in our daily worship and faithfulness?
Transcript:
We are familiar with the word anthem.
I think we primarily associate this word with songs that convey national identity. Identity, that's easily the most common use of the term for that type of a song. And we know this because we attend events all the time where the national anthem is sang before the event begins. It's an important part of athletic events at really every level. We see it at the high school level, to the next level, in the minor leagues, all the way to the professional level of sports.
The national anthem is sung. Well, in the Olympics, the national anthem of the athletes is played when they win a gold medal. I want us to think about what that does to us when we see that and hear that. It solidifies in us a feeling that even though that athlete or team has worked the majority of their life to achieve this goal, of getting a gold medal, when we hear that anthem, we feel as though we win as well. We are connected to them, not just as individuals, but us collectively. There's a national pride there
when we hear that anthem. It unites us together. As different as people are in countries, the feeling we have when we hear the national anthem played when somebody wins a gold medal is that I'm a part of that. It connects us. Not only to that person standing on the podium,
but to each other. And anthems serve as a means by which we come together as people. When I was a youth director in Ohio, we went on a mission trip to Maine. And in my specific work group, there was a group of kids from Canada. And our church had a van, and we had driven it to Maine.
This mission trip. And so I was in charge in the mornings to make sure that my work group got to the place where we showered. I think it was the local high school. Well, it was in Calais, Maine, right on the border. And so as we were driving to the high school, there was a sign that said Canada with an arrow. Like,
Canada that way. These kids saw that sign, and they sang, Oh Canada. For us four Americans in the van, so loud, I will never forget it. They knew every word. I think there were probably nine or ten of them, I think. They broke out in that song, and singing that song that day, for us four Americans, was how they expressed their pride in and their love of
their country. And this is what anthems do. But anthems are not only songs for the purpose of national identity. An anthem can really be any song that embodies the values and emotions of a group. Recently, I was at a concert, and the band I was seeing has a song that I would say is probably an anthem. It's an anthem for the entire genre, that sort of scene around
that band. And there's a point in that song where the music drops out. And I think there were probably 1 ,500 people in this venue. And when the music stopped for the singing, and the singing of that part of the chorus, I don't think there was a person in that facility who did not sing along. It echoed very
loudly. I didn't know a person in that room. Not one. But I felt like I knew every person in that room at the same time. Because we had something in common. Kind of like a family reunion, right? You don't know everybody, but you know you're connected. You know you're a part of something
bigger. These anthems, they unite us despite our differences and divisions. So as we arrive in Revelation 5, we see vivid imagery of how God brought salvation to his people. And it causes those in heaven to break out in a new song. They're proclaiming that the Lamb was slain, and that he is worthy of all praise. And that is the truth that unites us as, the people
of God. Despite boundaries, despite ethnicities, we are brought together because the Lamb is worthy of all praise. And when we returned to Revelation last week with chapter 4, I was deliberate to point out what is happening in the book of Revelation. And I want to remind us again this morning. And the reason I want to do that is because many of us, myself included at some points in my life, we deliberately steer clear of the Bible. We think it's easy because it's way at the back, but we stay away from it because we think it's confusing, and it is complex, and so it is confusing.
But what I want to do for us as we're in the book of Revelation is, I want to try and take away this fear that we have of this book by helping us to understand what it is doing in the context in which it was written. It was written prior to the destruction of the temple in the year 70 AD. And lastly, last week I pointed out that the Jewish faith was a very geographical religion with a heavy emphasis on Israel, on Jerusalem, and then specifically on the temple.
And we know from the New Testament that those things, Israel, Jerusalem, and the temple, those were just types and they were shadows. When they were talked about in the Old Testament, they were pointing to something greater. And we know because we are Christians, because we have the New Testament, that that, that greater thing is the Lord Jesus Christ.
But when Jewish believers came to faith in Jesus, they would have struggled deeply with disconnecting from that geographical element of what they believed. Again, it was very geographical. It was very, a very earthbound religion. That's what the practices were based upon.
And we also know from reading the New Testament that they would have known, that Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple. He made it very clear. We have that in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It's a big part of helping us to understand what is happening in the New Testament. And so they knew that the temple was going to be destroyed within a generation. Jesus said it was going to be. That not one stone would be left upon another.
And so they have this in the background. They have the persecution. This is the music playing in the book of Revelation as we read it. Read it. And so as this revelation of Jesus Christ is revealed to the Apostle John, that promised fall of Jerusalem, that destruction of the temple is on the horizon.
And so much of what John is writing in Revelation, as I said yesterday, or last Sunday, is to avert the gaze of early Jewish believers from the earthbound things to the heavenly. He wants to take their view, away from the things of this earth, and into the throne room of heaven. Because they look to earthly trappings in the land and the temple. But their true hope is in heaven, where their true king is seated. And their eternal great high priest is interceding for them at the Father's right hand.
Soon the temple is going to be destroyed. To the point that, as I said, not one stone will be left upon another. You can check the history books. It happened in the years... They're 70. And so what John is doing, he's preparing them for that event. So that their hope is not in temporary buildings, or the things of this earth that can crumble, but instead that their hope is in a God who absolutely cannot be shaken. That he is in control. He is sovereign. He is powerful.
So let's break down this passage real quick into three parts, and then we'll settle into it. The first thing that we're going to look at in verses 1 through 4 is this, this look for this, this search for the one who is worthy. Then we're going to look at verses 5 through 7, and we'll see that there's this lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, but we find out that he's a lamb as well. And then finally, we're going to look at the final verses, 8 through 14, and then we're going to see this heavenly worship, this singing of the anthem of heaven that unites us as believers.
So with those three points in mind, let's step into this scene that John has painted, It's a scene of anticipation, of revelation, and profound worship. So let's listen closely as heaven itself proclaims this ultimate anthem, proclaiming the lamb's worth, and it draws us into the heartbeat of true worship. So as we start out today, we see verses 1 and 2. Now in chapter 4, we focused on this one who is seated on the throne. And now, the mighty one has a scroll in his hand.
So this scroll is sealed with seven seals. And so the idea of seven is the number of perfection, the number of completion. So the idea that's being expressed to us here as we see this image is that this is a heavenly scroll that contains the plan of God. It is perfect. It is complete. This is the plan that God has.
Now remember, Revelation is deeply connected to the Old Testament. We cannot understand the book of Revelation without understanding its connection to the Old Testament. In fact, there are more allusions to the Old Testament in the book of Revelation than there are verses in the book of Revelation. That's how pervasive the Old Testament imagery is.
And so what are we seeing from the Old Testament here in these first two verses? Well, we see this book that Daniel spoke of. But notice what is to be done with that book, this scroll. It's to be shut up. It's to be sealed until the end, until the final way in which God is going to deal with his people.
So the idea being shown here in Daniel is that this is the final plan of how God will bring salvation to his people. This is how God is going to save us. But notice that in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, it is sealed. But what are we looking to do in Revelation? We're looking to open. In Daniel, it was sealed. Now we're looking to open this scroll.
So when this sacred scroll comes into view, we find that there's a problem. The scroll is going to be opened. It needs to be opened. And then we see a mighty angel ask a question. Now it's interesting that the angel here is described as mighty because clearly this is a powerful heavenly being. If anyone would be worthy and strong enough to break the seal on a scroll, wouldn't it be a mighty angel? But the angel knows that he's not able to unlock or unseal this. The ability to open the scroll, the inability to open this scroll, is known to us by this angel. He says that somebody has to be worthy.
So here we have this scroll that tells us what God has purposed to come to pass for his people. And it can't just be opened by any means. Not even by a mighty angel. There's only one who can open this scroll. And so as this story unfolds, we're finding out no one's worthy.
Here is God's perfectly ordained God. He's been planned of salvation for his people. It has been sealed up until now. And in order for it to be opened and revealed, someone who is worthy has to break these seven seals. And John informs us that no one is worthy. No one can open this.
And he says this in a very absolute way. He just doesn't say that no one is worthy. He says that no one in heaven, in earth, or under the earth, is worthy to open this scroll and look into it. So what is being expressed to us here is that there's no one, absolutely no one who's worthy. No matter where you look, there will be no one who is able to break these seven seals and reveal the perfect, revealed plan of God for his people.
And we understand these verses. We know that God is holy and we're not. There are none who are righteous, not even one. And like John, we know that this is the state of affairs of humanity. And verse four here gets me every time. He weeps loudly because there's no one worthy to open the scroll.
We know this is true. We know we can't do it. Our great God, he made us in his image and yet we rebelled against him. We committed cosmic treason against his holiness. And our sin is reason to weep because it's not just that I'm not worthy, that I can't open the scroll. It's that every last one of us is in rebellion against God. If it was up to us to find someone to open this scroll, it would never be opened. There would be no salvation for the people of God. The perfect plan of God would remain unsealed, would remain sealed.
The law of God shows us that we are not worthy because we have, we have violated the commands of God. But the law isn't the end of the story. In our next point and in these upcoming verses, we see the gospel. The law exposes our unworthiness but the gospel shows us the one who is worthy.
And like I said, this part of chapter five gets me every time because one of the elders comes and tells John he doesn't need to weep anymore because there is one who is worthy. The lion, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has conquered and he is able to open the scroll and the seals. And we see in this a connection to the promise and the plan. The fall of man in Genesis 3 is what causes the weeping but it is the unfolding plan of God in the Old Testament culminating in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ that can cause us to weep.
It can cause the weeping of the Apostle John to be no more because notice the way the one who is conquered is described. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah. It is this powerful one who is able to open the scroll. That language fires us up. Here we go. It's an image of might. It's an image of strength. But then John does something. He gives us a contrast to that image we have in our head of a mighty, powerful lion.
And as we read this, our mind's eye is naturally going to have the lion in mind, right? We're going to imagine turning our gaze to the throne and the four living elders and we're looking for a lion. We're looking for power. We're looking for might. We're looking for this one who will conquer by strength. But instead John tells us that there's a lamb there.
That is not a predator. That's an animal that is preyed upon. An animal that is used for sacrifice. And the first description we have of this lamb is that it is though it has been slain. That's not at all what we would expect to see as we move our eyes to the one seated on the throne. Without knowing the story, we would expect that the lion would exhibit its power and show its worthiness to open the scroll. That maybe it would take its big, strong paw, and slash a claw across those seals and boom, it comes open and it shakes.
But instead, what are we given? We're given an image of weakness. A lamb as if it had been slain. Now that language here can kind of be confusing to read. It kind of sounds like maybe it only appears to have been slayed. Well, that's not what's being expressed here. The idea instead is that it has clearly been slain, and yet it stands alive. It stands victorious.
And if there was any doubt that this is a reference to Jesus, this erases any thought we might have that this is anyone other than him. He's the lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the root of David. He is the lamb who was slain. He has conquered and overcome. And it was not through might. It was not by power. But it was by suffering. It was by dying and rising again.
And on this lamb are seven horns and seven eyes. Again, we have that number. Seven. The number of completion. The number of perfection. And horns are a symbol of power. And so the lamb, even though it appears as though he has been slain, he is victorious. He has overcome with complete power even though he has been slain. It was in weakness.
And then it tells us that the seven eyes are connected to the seven spirits of God that we've seen mentioned before in Revelation. And so the idea is that God has perfectly and completely done this and this message is going out into the world. The gospel is going to the ends of the earth. And so we see the worthiness in the lion of Judah who is the lamb of God because he goes, and he takes the scroll from the right hand of the one who is on the throne.
And then as the passage closes up and we move on to our final point, we see that this elicits praise from the hosts of heaven. The lamb who was slain is not only worthy to open the scroll, he is worthy of praise. Without him, the perfect plan of God for the salvation of his people, it would have remained unopened. Only, only the lamb is worthy.
And their worship tells us the story of the gospel. He is worthy because he was slain and by his blood he ransomed a people for God. In other words, he bought them with his blood. And this is good news. We were not worthy, but one who is worthy paid the price for us. There was a great reason for the weeping of John in heaven. No one, no one was worthy, but the Lord Jesus Christ is worthy.
And I want to bring us back to what I mentioned a while back. Remember that earthbound, geographical assumption of these early Jewish Christians. Last week, we were brought to the one who is on the throne with the idea of a ruler who is now above all rulers of the earth. And now, our focus on the throne. And this scene has gone to the lamb who was slain. So not only do they have a ruler and a king in heaven, but now the priestly activity of the temple is relocated from the temple to heaven. So there's a relocation of that.
The temple that they so deeply cling to,
that they look to, where the sacrifices were made, is now going to be gone. But now,
the sacrifice has been done in heaven.
It has been made for the people of God there. It is eternal. It is once and for all. Last week, I said that we are meant to avert our gaze from the rulers of earth to our true king in heaven in Revelation 4. Well now, our eyes are to see into heaven and understand that a temple, is no longer needed. It's no longer necessary. Because the ultimate sacrifice of the perfect lamb of God has been made for the people of God. There's no longer a need for these earthly trappings. Because Christ has overcome. And as we look at this, I want us to notice here who the people of God are. It says they are from every tribe, and language, and nation. They are no longer one ethnic people from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now, because the lamb has overcome, the people of God are defined by those who have been given the gift of faith in the work of the lamb for their salvation. It's not one ethnic people who are the people of God. It is all people who are united to Christ by faith. United to this lamb who has overcome. And these people of God are victorious with the lamb. And we see that they will be a kingdom and priests who are God. They will reign on the earth. And so the idea being expressed here is not that they will be kings and priests in the way things currently are, in the way the world currently works. This isn't telling them that they are the rightful rulers of this age. And so they should go and take their rightful seats in the systems of the world. That's not what's being expressed here. Instead, what is being said is that the reign of evil and oppression is not going to last forever. One day, the first heaven and the first earth that have been marred and broken by sin, that will all pass away. And then in the new heavens and in the new earth, they will reign in righteousness with the Lord Jesus. And we see that the worship we have seen so far continues and multiplies in verses, verses 11 and 12. It says, it helps us to see that John is expanding our view here. This is really told in a very cinematic way here. At least that's how I imagine it. Maybe we're in entertainment culture and so I imagine everything like a movie, you know, the way a movie tells a story. But how I picture this in my head is that the camera has focused in. And now as John continues to tell the story, the camera is slowly zooming out. To give us an idea of the overwhelming nature of this praise for the Lamb. The living creatures and the elders are joined by the voices of myriads and myriads of angels saying, worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. The anthem of heaven. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. He is the reason that we have been brought together as the people of God. It is the death, the death and resurrection of the Lamb that lets us sing this song. And it is the story that unites us with believers here and across the street and around the world and believers from all of history who have put their trust in Christ alone for their salvation. This is the song that every citizen of heaven sings. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. When we, when we come up from our graves,
this is what each and every last one of us will be proclaiming. Every last one of us. He is worthy of praise for all eternity because he has rescued us from sin, death and hell and the curse. And so we will praise the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God who was slain and we will praise him for all eternity. And I absolutely, love how this chapter closes out. We zoom back in. The ones who are closest to the ones seated on the throne are praising too. The ones that we would imagine are to be honored themselves.
Even they say amen and they fall down and worship the Lamb. So as we prepare to take the Lord's Supper, I hope it is the anthem of, heaven that is echoing within us, in our minds and in our hearts. Those words, worthy is the Lamb who was slain because this anthem is our song. It binds us to other believers across time and across space, uniting us to the eternal truth that Jesus the Lamb has conquered sin and death for us as the people of God. So as we partake together, may our hearts echoes, may our hearts echo heaven's song. And may you and I go forth from here renewed to live for the glory of this one who is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise, amen. Let us pray.
Great and merciful God,
we are so thankful to hear these words. That we are able to hear those words, worthy is the Lamb who was slain. And through your Holy Spirit, we are able to comprehend them and take hold of them. Amen. And cling to them. And we thank you that this is our anthem. This is what binds us to believers across all time and in every area of the world. And we thank you that we can meditate on these words and know what we will be doing for eternity, giving praise to the one who has brought us to himself, the one who had the perfect plan of salvation to save us through suffering, that he might be glorified in the salvation of his people. It's in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.
