A Word about a Worthy Lamb

Today I want to share a word about a Worthy Lamb, as I comment on Revelation 5:11-14. This passage reads: 

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, "To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped.

It is always hard to say goodbye. One of the most memorable goodbyes ever said happened in 1983, when the TV show M*A*S*H ended its 11 year run.  The final episode was entitled “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen.”  It remains one of the highest rated TV episodes ever. 

In this episode, the Korean war has come to an end and each of the characters is considering what they will do with their future and they are saying their goodbyes to one another, all except one character. In the show, the character of B.J. Honeycutt refuses to tell anyone goodbye, insisting that he will see his friends again.

 In the same way today, when that time comes for us to part will do not say goodbye, instead we will say, “Farewell.” We say this because we know that we will meet again, and when we do we will be gathered for an unusual purpose.  We will be gathered to praise a humble little lamb.

What is a lamb worth?  $50?  $75?  Maybe $100?  A single little humble lamb isn't worth very much in today's economy is it?  Yet in Biblical times, a single lamb was worth a great deal, both  economically and spiritually.  This is especially true if it was an unblemished lamb prepared for sacrifice. 

FIRST WE SEE THAT THE LAMB IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED:

Jesus is God. He is sinless, righteous, perfect. He is also loving, kind, and giving. He’s all knowing, all powerful, all present.

Jesus was also human. Even while we were sinners, He left heaven to come to earth. He came down to earth and limited Himself for us. He identified Himself with us, and lived like we do.

Jesus became our Sacrificial Lamb: He paid our debt and He suffered for our sin. He bridged the gap between God and Us.

Who else is truly worthy of praise? What politician?  What entertainer? What athlete? What preacher? All pale in comparison with the Lamb Which Was Slain!

NEXT WE SEE THAT THE LAMB IS WORTHY TO SAVE US:

In manufacturing, the quality of material is vital. Good quality material may produce a good product, but bad quality material will produce a bad product. As the saying goes in programming computers: “Garbage in, garbage out.” 

A famous house along the lower Mississippi River in Louisiana was named Nottoway Plantation because no timbers with knots were used in its construction. It survives even today as an example of a beautiful antebellum home. Its builder used only the best material available to him.

God's perfect processes require perfect materials. He is perfect, and He can't abide any imperfection. A speck of dust can ruin an electronic instrument and an almost microscopic tobacco leaf could puncture a tube in tire, when cars used them. The Bible says our righteousness is filthy rags before God and we simply can't satisfy God's requirements.

Only Christ is worthy to save. Only He lived a perfect human life. Only He died a perfect sacrifice. Only He is worthy to open the Book of Life. Only He is worthy to bring this world to a just end.

FINALLY, WE MUST ADMIT THAT THE LAMB IS WORTHY TO BE OBEYED:

 To whom do you listen? Those whom you respect and those whom you feel are worthy of your time and effort. These are people like, your physician, your lawyer, your accountant, or an architect or an engineer. Revelation tells us that Jesus is far more worthy than any of these!

Expert advice should be heeded; they know what we don't. They have skills we don't. For their abilities to help us, however, we must follow their advice. Many business owners have ignored of their accountant, and in the end they paid expensive fines and other penalties.

Jesus is an expert on abundant life! John 10:10 He said that. “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. Jesus has abundant advice on how to live abundantly, but his advice does us no good if we ignore it!

CONCLUSION:

John the Revelator gave us a glimpse of Heaven and a glimpse of our future in Revelation 5. He showed us that the destiny of all Christians is to gather around the Throne for eternity and proclaim that the Lamb is worthy. If we are going to be doing that in the hereafter, why don’t we start doing that in the here-and-now? 

Good question, no? Do we have a good answer?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt