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[0:00] Pastor Favre pointed out to us many of the images and symbols coming to us in the book of Revelation. Dozens and dozens of them come from the Old Testament Scriptures.

[0:11] ! We find the same again in Revelation 5. Genesis 49, and we'll just read verses 9 and 10.

[0:43] And then to Revelation chapter 5 to see just who this one is of whom Moses wrote.

[1:02] Revelation 5, and I'll read the entire chapter. Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides, and sealed with seven seals.

[1:16] And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll? But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it.

[1:34] I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, Do not weep.

[1:48] See, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Then I saw a lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.

[2:11] He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.

[2:26] And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

[2:42] And they sang a new song. You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain.

[2:52] And with your blood, you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.

[3:05] And they will reign on the earth. Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand.

[3:17] They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang, Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.

[3:34] Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and all that is in them singing, To him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever.

[3:52] The four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshipped. It's a difficult task because now all the strength of your body is working to digest all this good food.

[4:08] I hope they will have some to send blood to your brain that you can continue to listen to what we heard this morning. This morning we started to look into heaven through this open door.

[4:22] And we'll try to push just a little bit more the door this afternoon and try to see something else in heaven. That is shown by God through John in this chapter 5.

[4:38] And the title is Our Look into Heaven, The Glory of the Son of God. Now. And we must begin by considering the book of God.

[4:52] That's verse 1 and 2. And I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

[5:05] Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to lose its seals?

[5:16] This glorious God who reigns and who is worshipped by all creation holds a book in his right hand.

[5:28] What do we know about this book? We know that it's written both sides, inside and outside. That is to say, it's so covered with writing that it's just impossible to add anything at all to it.

[5:45] It's a bit like those holiday postcards on which we try to grab in as much writing as possible. To the point that it's even hard to put our names sometimes on the corner.

[5:59] We cannot put anything more than what is in this book. The idea is that nothing can be added to the words of this sealed book.

[6:16] This book is sealed with seven seals, which means it's closed. And its content cannot be either revealed or carried out for the moment.

[6:28] They are kept secret. Then we start to wonder about what is in this book. We want to know what's in this book. And if you read Revelation further from chapter 7, 8, you would see the book open and the scroll, the seals broken.

[6:49] And you would see that in fact this book is the book of the plan of God for humanity, of the accomplishment of all the salvation of God.

[7:05] It's God's plan drawn up from all eternity with a view to the salvation of his people, to the establishment of his kingdom, and to the renewal of all things.

[7:19] This is the book which assures us as Christians, that from all eternity, God holds in his right hand, the hand of authority and power, our destiny, and all things.

[7:36] And that it's impossible for anyone to alter anything at all within it. And now appears a strong angel in verse 2.

[7:49] He defies the whole universe in order to see whether there is a single creature able of opening the book and breaking its seals.

[8:00] What is he doing? In fact, he's asking all creatures whether anyone of them is able of establishing the kingdom of peace, justice, and reconciliation with God.

[8:21] He's asking, is there anyone mighty enough, righteous enough, to liberate creation from the bondage of sin in which it finds itself?

[8:36] Do you think there is somebody? Do you think you could do it? Do you think there is somebody who is going to be able to do it?

[9:12] There is another may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may may much because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at it.

[9:54] The creators can make no response because there is no one able to come forward and say, I can open the book of the salvation of God. I can open the book of the plan of God.

[10:16] In fact, there is nothing in heaven but silence and weeping. Because in the entire universe, there is not a single creature that dares to cast a single glimpse at the book.

[10:34] They cannot even look at this book. And John weeps much. When he sees this, in verse 4 we see it. For then, at that time, he realizes the state of perdition in which our humanity finds itself.

[10:56] My dear friends, there is no one in the whole humanity who can save us, who can reconcile us with God.

[11:08] There is no one who can by himself come to God, come to God. It is not that humanity did not try.

[11:20] you try it, you try it maybe. Some of you might still think that they would find a way to be reconciled with God on their own by their practice, their good work, but by some other practices, religious rituals, efforts, good work.

[11:42] but this is never enough. There is not one who is sufficiently righteous in the eyes of God to be able to approach his throne by himself and take the book.

[12:03] And the same quest still exercises society today for it believes it will manage to establish peace, healing and paradise upon this earth.

[12:16] The politicians try to establish the new world order while tearing each other apart in their own families sometimes. They believe that tolerance will lead to peace while never within the bosom of humanity have there been so maniacs of barbarity.

[12:39] These two verses, verse 3 and 4, still describe what Paul tells us in Romans chapter 3.

[12:52] verses 10 to 12. There is no one righteous. No, not one. There is no one who understands.

[13:03] There is no one who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good.

[13:16] No, not even one. do you realize that? You are not the only one. There is no one.

[13:28] You are not the exception who can do it. There is no exception. No one. God is as long as you seek to recover paradise lost by relying on your own strength or on the strength of another creature.

[13:52] There will be for you nothing but tears and disillusionment because among all the creatures of heaven and earth and on earth there is no one no one who can open the book of God plans of salvation.

[14:14] There is no one who can save you. But for those who like John weep over this state of affair about this situation there is good news.

[14:31] There is one of the 24 elders who comes and who gives good news to John and that's what we find in verse 5.

[14:46] But one of the elders said to me do not weep behold the lion of the tribe of Judah the root of David has prevailed to open the scroll and to lose its seven seals.

[15:00] And this leads us to the perfection of the Son of God. That's verses 5 to 7. This elder says there is one it's a lion.

[15:15] He's called the lion of the tribe of Judah in reference to what we read in Genesis 49 verse 9 and 10. He's also called the offspring of David.

[15:28] And these two expressions are reference to both natures of Christ. He's the lion of Judah which means that he's a king he's God because the lion is the king of the animals and he's also the offspring of David.

[15:51] He in a way came out of David because he was born from Mary who was in David's family. Jesus is the lion of Judah.

[16:05] David is David's ancestor Jesus is the lion of Judah David's ancestor because he exists from all eternity. And when we look at this lion this good news a lion is going to come we're surprised because we wait a lion coming and what is arriving it's a lamb it's not a lion the lion is going to come and he looks and a lamb who seemed to be slain is arriving we find that in verse in verse six and I looked and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though it had been slain having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seventh spirit of

[17:07] God sent out into all the earth it's a lamb coming he's alive but he bears the marks of having been slain of having been offered as a sacrifice probably had some blood around his throat with the noise but it was clear that this lamb had been sacrificed and that he was alive and this picture of a lamb helps us to understand how the lion of Judah has prevailed how our savior Jesus Christ has triumphed over the devil over sin over death in order to accomplish God's plan of salvation it's not by coming into the world like a warrior pulverizing his enemy by violent force but it's by coming among man with compassion looking after their need and finally offering himself as a sacrifice upon the cross in the place of his people in order to pay for their debt this is how he frees them from slavery of sin and death he only is able to pass between the cherubim and approached the father in order to take the book from his right hand and to open its seals that's what said in verse seven then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne this declares that what no creatures could accomplish

[19:04] God has accomplished for us through his son Jesus Christ by sending him to us men in order to accomplish his plan of salvation this is the good news for you who like John weeps because you realize that humanity is without hope and that you yourself are sinners unable by yourself to approach this holy and just glorious God we talked about this morning this news is that when the fullness of time has come God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons

[20:06] Galatians 4 4 and 5 my dear friends Christ Christ alone is the one who saves all sinners who come to him he is the only one able to do so for it is he who has been sent amongst us by God to accomplish his plan of salvation or do not remain in unbelief and in self confidence to approach God instead simply abandon yourself to him for he does what you cannot do he did what you cannot do he opened the book he accomplished salvation for all the sinners who come to him and you who this afternoon are

[21:14] Christians never forget that it's because of Christ alone that you can have the assurance today that God's plan is a plan of love of salvation of mercy for you for if God did not spare his only son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things you see that no man can open the book no one can save himself by himself there's only one it's the Lord Jesus Christ sent from heaven in our humanity to save us oh

[22:19] God to him just jump in his arm say save me Lord that's the only thing you can do if you want to be one day in this heaven in front of God enjoy worship and praise and that's exactly what happened when we continue our reading we see in verses 8 to 14 that he is worthy to be praised This lion which come as a lamb!

[22:51] is praised! worshipped now by all the creatures in heaven on earth under earth and the end of this chapter is just songs of praise and we have three songs of praise in the end of this chapter!

[23:09] the first one is in verses 8 to 10 it involves the four living creatures and the twenty four elders these creatures who are just around the throne when they see this lamb who can accomplish salvation they praise him because they see that he is God and he needs to be praised as God is to be praised and what is interesting is to see that they would take the same word they would say to the father on the throne and they would use them to the son the lamb who is slain because for them it's clear that this lamb is God God the son sent for our salvation they sing a new song it's said but when you look at the song it's not so new than that what's new in this song what is new in this song in this song it is that salvation is accomplished in the old testament they were waiting waiting how

[24:28] God would accomplish salvation but now salvation is accomplished and we can praise the Lord Jesus Christ they praise him also because he made a people of many nations as he says in verse 9 and 10 you have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and have made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth it's nice to be together but it's a bit hard to communicate together because I speak French so speak English but there will be one day where we'll be all together in front of God and we'll understand perfectly one another and we'll praise him all together and forever because he joins us from different tribes nations different people all together as one family one people of

[25:37] God saved by the Lamb of God what an extraordinary salvation it's not just Jews who are saved but people from all around the world when you see them when you feel that's family even if you cannot speak to them sometimes that's the work of the Lamb of God of the Spirit of God putting us together then in verses 11 and 12 there's a second hymn sung by millions of angels they join the four living creatures the twenty four elders and they worship the Lamb together we can read these verses verse 12 worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing and then in the end the final song where the whole universe is there and must recognize and proclaim the glory of our

[26:56] Savior Jesus Christ verses 13 and 14 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 you have to realize each one of you that one day you will have to bow your knee in front of the Lord one day you will have to praise him and worship him it might be all by faith and joy in him or by constraint being forced because you will be in front of him and you say yes he is

[28:01] Lord I didn't believe in him but now today I have to recognize that he is Lord you will press him one day even if you are non Christian and what I can ask you today only is come to him today that on that day you will be able to praise him as your Lord not just as Lord of the earth but as my Lord my Savior my Lamb who was saved my Lion of Judah who triumphed for me by giving John this glimpse into heaven God intended to prepare us and to equip us to take hold on life in its true perspective there will be tribulation there will be trial there will be suffering in your life maybe something you don't even expect today could happen to you but be reassured!

[29:14]  God is in control God is on the throne he reigns salvation is perfectly accomplished you don't have anything to do to be saved just jump in the arm of your Savior count on him we are table sinners unable to save ourselves but Christ is the perfect Savior Savior for table sinners Christ is the perfect Savior who has fully accomplished our salvation may we thank and adore him forever and ever Amen may