FBC Morning Light (12/28/2024)

Faith Baptist Church

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Good Saturday morning, people of faith!

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This weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we are reading from Revelation chapter 4 all the way through Revelation chapter 16, and I'm going to focus in on Revelation chapter 4 and chapter 5.

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I think in all of, well, first of all, the book of Revelation is a book of Revelation, what's often called apocalyptic writing, which involves pictures of heaven that are very difficult for us to understand because no eye has seen, nor ear heard, no mind has conceived what

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God has planned for us, right? And so for that to be translated into language that we can understand is a difficult thing, and yet here in chapters 4 and 5,

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I think we have some of the highest examples of worship anywhere in Scripture right here, and let me start with chapter 4 and verse 1, it says,

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After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which

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I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.

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All right, so immediately we already have a wonderful picture of the sound and the sight, and so then in verse 2,

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Immediately I was in the Spirit, this is John the Apostle, and behold, a throne set in heaven, and one sat on the throne, and he who sat on there, or who sat there, was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance, and there was a rainbow around the throne in appearance like an emerald.

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Around the throne were 24 thrones, and on the thrones I saw 24 elders sitting clothed in white robes, and they had crowns of gold on their heads, and from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices.

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Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.

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Before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal, and in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.

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The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.

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The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within, and they do not rest day or night, saying, holy, holy, holy,

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Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.

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So it emphasizes this worship that these creatures are giving is emphasizing, first of all,

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God's holiness. This is the only description of God that is given three times, and it's done many times throughout

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Scripture, that it says, holy, holy, holy. God is set apart from sin.

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He is completely set apart from sin. He is in no way in any way involved in sin.

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He is Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.

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He has existed from eternity past. He exists now. He has not gone away.

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He has not died. He is alive and active still, and He is going to come back and return.

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He is Lord God Almighty. And whenever, in verse 9, whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship

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Him who lives forever and ever and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, you are worthy,

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O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.

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And now we're going to go into chapter 5, but we are looking at a picture of the worship that's going to happen.

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And it says, and I saw in verse 1 of chapter 5, 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.

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Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals.

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Now, it's a strong angel that says this, and if you think back to the

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Old Testament, and there's several times where the Lord sent an angel to wipe out at times thousands of soldiers or thousands of the firstborn in Egypt, and one angel could do all of that, and here we have a strong angel, which

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I assume means strong angel at least as capable of wiping out thousands in a moment, right?

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This is a strong angel, and it says, who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals.

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And all of a sudden we have bad news. And no one, in verse 3, in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at it.

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So this angel in heaven, this strong angel, was not strong enough to open the scroll.

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No one on earth, looking down from heaven, no one on earth was worthy enough to open the scroll, and certainly no one who had passed into eternity, who was buried in the earth, was worthy to open the scroll or to look at it.

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So John, it says in verse 4, says, so I wept much because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at it.

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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 loose its seals.

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Oh, the bad news that there was no one who was worthy in heaven or on earth or under the earth in a moment has changed.

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We now see who it is that is worthy to open the scroll.

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It is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David.

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He has prevailed to open the scroll. Oh, thanks be to God that he has prevailed on our behalf, that he is worthy to open the scrolls, the scroll here.

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Oh, what a day it will be when we are able to join with these elders and with these creatures in heaven, unhindered by the sin that is around us, that we will be able to freely worship the one who is worthy to open the scroll.

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Let's pray. Oh, Lord, thank you that you sent your son to be the one who is worthy, the one who is strong enough, who is mighty enough, who is worthy enough to open the scroll and to read it and to proclaim all of the good and mighty and wonderful things that you would have in our future.

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Help us to walk closely with you this day. It's in your son's name, Jesus, we pray. Amen. Have an excellent day, people of faith.