Worthy is the Lamb

From Philippians chapter 2, 9, 10 and 11. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Not long ago, Canadian television interviewed Will Durant.

A man who's probably written more volumes on history and some on philosophy than anybody who ever lived. And is now mellowing in his 90s with an aging body and a mind that's as clear as a bell. Durant fielded questions, some of you probably watched this, on many, many subjects.

And with his answers he began to weave together a philosophy of history that was based almost exclusively on biology. As the interview came toward a close, the interviewer asked this delightful old man who blithely predicted all the destruction of all the cities on earth, who he considered to be the greatest man who ever lived. Without an instant's hesitation, Durant said, Jesus of Nazareth, to which his wife cried, What? And almost fell off her chair, this woman 80 years old.

She says, he's a myth, he's a myth. And he tried to quiet her down, he says, what do you mean? You know he existed, you know better than that. And then he kind of looks off into space and said, If only I could live the life that man taught.

And then behind his thick glasses you could almost picture tears welling up. As he just considered that. And said a few more things about Jesus and then went on to other things.

Now here's a man, a scholar, who is convinced that Jesus is the greatest man who ever lived and yet, whose life has actually been totally untouched by what Jesus came to bring him. See now what will it take for Will Durant to begin to receive the change that the Lord wants him to have? Certainly it won't happen until one day as Will Durant is reading his New Testament or his Bible or whatever. Or perhaps looking out the window trying to pray.

He meets Jesus alive from the dead and falls down and worships him. There are very few people alive on this earth who, given the facts and delivered from all their prejudices would not have to admit that there has never been anybody who comes anywhere near the stature of the man Jesus. But, that will never do it.

It's not enough. For instance, the disciples when they first began to follow Jesus doubtless were convinced that they had found a great man. A man worth disrupting their lives for.

Following around to drink in everything he has to say. And very quickly they became convinced that this man was the Messiah. But it would have seemed to them as blasphemy to think that they would ever worship this man.

They loved him but they didn't worship him. Peter, James and John were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. They saw his face become bright as the sun and his raiment become white as the light.

And they were scared. And they really didn't know what to do. But one thing they did not do.

They did not worship him. It became Good Friday. They watched him die.

Their hearts were broken. Their minds were blank. And it became obvious that the three and a half years of close contact with this man Jesus had not changed these people in any basic way.

They had cast out demons and healed the sick in the name of Jesus but they were still men and women born of flesh. But then they met Jesus alive from the dead and they then began to do something they would never have dreamed they would ever ever do. They began to worship him.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them and when they saw him they worshipped him. Eight days later his disciples were again in the house and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut.

But Jesus came and stood among them and said Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas Put your finger here and see my hands. Put out your hand and place it in my side and do not be faithless but believing.

Thomas answered him My Lord and my God. Then he led them out as far as Bethany and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them he parted from them and they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple blessing God.

And it was as they worshipped Jesus that the change began to take place within them. They then began to receive power to become sons and daughters of God. But to all who received him who believed in his name to them he gave power to become sons of God children of God who are born not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man but of God to as many as received him as believed on his name.

What does it mean to receive Jesus and to believe on his name? It means nothing less than worship. And not just with the mouth but with the life. Behavioral changes heart changes eternal changes took place in their lives as they worshipped the Lamb.

What do you think they were doing on Pentecost? When the Holy Spirit fell upon them and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them honorants. And they were devout Jews from every nation under heaven in Jerusalem and they heard them speaking in their own tongues the wonderful works of God. But what really was the Spirit of God saying through the tongues of these men and women? Obviously the Spirit through these tongues was giving testimony to Jesus.

He will testify to me for he will take what is mine and will show it to you. The Spirit always testifies to Jesus. These men and women were with these tongues giving high and holy worship to the Lamb.

Then follows Peter's sermon and that sermon that Peter preached revolves around Jesus. At the end of the sermon 3,000 people are baptized in the name of Jesus. As a result of such worship life changes take place which are described at the end of the second chapter of Acts as follows.

And fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all as any had need.

And day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes they partook of food with glad and generous hearts praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Down through the centuries it's happened again and again that believers read a passage like this and try to imitate what they call the New Testament lifestyle.

Or to pattern their churches after what they call the New Testament pattern. And they end up with death because the basic ingredient that brought those changes about worship of the Lamb is missing. On the other hand if you give your life in total worship to the Lamb of God all the holy, right, good godly changes will take place in your life and individually and corporately we will be become and live out exactly what God wants from us at this stage in history.

And whatever that is you can call it New Testament. Well somebody says, wait a minute. Isn't Jesus a man? Wasn't he limited like we are? Wasn't he born of a woman? And that's all true.

He is a man. Was and is. Well then if he's a man how can we worship a man? Because he is worthy.

Who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord for the glory of God the Father. He is worthy.

In fact he alone is worthy. And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals.

And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me Leap not. The lion of the tribe of Judah the root of David has conquered and so he can open the scroll and its seven seals.

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain with seven horns and with seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne and when he had taken the scroll the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb each holding a harp and with golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints and they sang a new song. Worthy art thou to take the scroll and open its seals for thou hast slain and by thy blood it's ransomed men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and has made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth.

And then I looked and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels numbering millions of millions and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. All of this, the whole fifth chapter of Revelation is worship of the lamb and I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all therein saying to him who sits 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 worshipped.

We will in fact receive power to become sons and daughters of God and we will in fact begin to take on the likeness of Jesus when we begin to join the company of heaven in the worship of the lamb. In fact, not just with our mouths but with our lives. Then the changes will take place that need to take place and not until he is worthy of our worship because he is God's forgiveness.

Worthy is the lamb that was slain. Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We look at Jesus and we see God's forgiveness of us.

God taking our sin and all our filth, dumping it on his most precious treasure. Receiving the blood of his son as the atoning blood, the blood of the past the lamb. No wonder he could say to the paralytic, son be of good cheer your sins are forgiven, rise take up your bed and walk.

Or to the woman who's washing his feet with her tears wiping them with her hair your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you, go in peace. Or to you and me take a drink.

This is the blood of the new covenant shed for your sins. He is God's forgiveness. He is worthy of our worship because he is God's yes.

For the son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, was not yes and no, but in him it is always yes. For all the promises of God find their yes in him. Jesus, the person of Jesus is God's yes to every cry of our hearts to every knock on heaven's door, to every penitent prayer, to every sheep lost in the darkness.

Him who comes to me I will in no wise cast out. I will say yes to him. So if you get the idea in your mind, and who of us doesn't at times that God likes other people but he's fed up with you look at Jesus and you will see God's arm stretched out to you and you will hear him saying yes, come.

He is worthy of our worship because he has redeemed us ransomed us to God. Worthy art thou to take the stroll and open its seals for thou was slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation not just the western world. And hast made them in the kingdom of priests to our God and they shall reign on earth.

Ransomed us set us free when I even get a glimpse of this that he has set me free from death from the clutches of Satan from the father of lies brought me into union with the living father made me an anointed priest in the kingdom of priests and that's what each one of us is and given me work to do as he's given to each of us what else can I do but worship him? People say but I don't know how to worship I'm inhibited and people come in here and say they sure are look at us, man, they're really inhibited but worship isn't necessarily raising your hands or standing on your head or shouting or screaming or crying. It can be all those things or it can be utter silence but worship is like prayer you learn to do it by doing it you don't learn to pray by reading a thousand books on prayer. You learn to pray by praying.

When you begin to pray then the spirit of God comes down and helps you and when you begin to worship in whatever way you think you can find, the spirit of God comes down and helps you and before long, every aspect of your life becomes worship of the Lamb we worship him corporately and with all the company of heaven. Lord and magnify his glorious name we worship him by walking in his steps, doing his will of mercy here in this world among men we worship him by being faithful in an unfaithful world we worship him by laying down our lives we worship him by our work we worship him at our rest, by eating and by sleeping. All the time we worship him and as we worship the Lamb we begin from within to take on his likeness.

We begin to receive his heart his love of the Father his kindness his wisdom, his peace one day every human being who has ever or will ever live will give total worship either to the Christ and through the Christ to the Father or to the Antichrist and through the Antichrist to Satan then will come the judgment and the judgment will begin with the Antichrist and all his slaves bending the knee before the name of Jesus before they're banished into our darkness. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. Of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. May the Spirit help us to begin this worship not then, but right now Lord God, help us who desire to walk by faith to find the way of faith in worshiping the Lamb and deliver us from our preoccupation with ourselves or with each other or with things that we see are wrong here and there and everywhere and grant that we may be consumed by burning worship heavenly Father of your Son that through him we may begin to worship you as we are we ask it in his blessed name Amen