In order that we might prepare our hearts
for the meeting to follow, shall we turn
to Revelation, Chapter 5, and begin reading in
verse 11?
Revelation, Chapter 5, and verse 11.
While you're turning, I'd just like to say
what a joy it is to be back
and to sense the joy and the roar
of the refreshing spirit here at Mid-South
once again.
Revelation, Chapter 5, verse 11.
And I beheld, and I heard the voice
of many angels round about the throne, and
the beasts and the elders, and the number
of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud
voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing to
every creature which is in heaven, and on
the earth, and under the earth, and such
as are in the sea, but all that
are in them, heard I say, blessing, and
honor, and glory, and power, to be unto
him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb forever and ever.
The four beasts said, Amen.
Four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped
him for ever and ever.
Let's turn back to verse 12, and let's
all read it together, shall we?
Because that's the verse I'd like to take
with you about tonight.
Verse 12.
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and
glory, and blessing.
Worthy is the Lamb, and he really is
dear to me.
Worthy of homage, and of praise.
Worthy by all to be adored.
Exhaustless themes of heavenly praise.
Thou art worthy, Jesus.
In the rush of present-day life, it's
often easy to forget how infinitely worthy the
Lord Jesus is of all of our worship,
and our praise, and the adoration of our
hearts.
Worthy is the Lord.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.
Just think as we sit here tonight under
this roof, people for whom someone has died.
That someone was not a mere man, but
the Lord of life and glory.
Just think of the price that he paid
for our redemption.
We might be with him eternally in Emmanuel's
grace.
He came with a cross of shame, and
poured out his life for us.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.
It says, Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain to receive power, and I think that
some versions of the Bible have the word
authority here.
I must confess to you tonight that this
verse of Scripture often puzzles me.
I would read it, Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive power, and I
think, how could he possibly have more power
than he already has?
Didn't Jesus say all power is given unto
thee in heaven and earth?
Isn't he the omnipotent one?
Somebody then gave me a text, a wall
text, and I hung it in the bedroom
right opposite my bed, and I'm just a
lion in my bed at night, and it
says, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power.
The one I just flashed across my mind,
he does, he already has all power, but
this means my submission is authority.
Not his power, it's my vowing to me
his authority.
He already has all authority, but he wants
me to acknowledge it, and what that really
says is, that the Lord Jesus Christ is
worthy that I should bow to him all
the time.
I really think that's the beginning of all
true worship.
The apostle Paul said, for to this end
Christ both died and rose again that he
might be our Lord.
He also said, writing to the Corinthians, we
die for all the day which lives should
not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him
that died and rose again.
In other words, the Lord Jesus is worthy
that you and I should bow before him,
acknowledge him, bring forth the royal diadem, and
crown him Lord of all.
Pilkington of Uganda once said, if he is
king he has a right to all.
This is what the hosts of heaven are
saying tonight.
This is the song that we'll sing throughout
all the earth.
Virgie is the lamb that has fled.
He said once that I had known about
Jesus dying for me, but I had never
understood that he died for me, then I
didn't belong to myself, and that if I
took my life and lived it the way
I wanted to, then I was a thief.
When I realized that, it didn't seem hard
to give all in him, and he also
said, if Jesus Christ evolves and dies for
me, then no sacrifice can be too great
for me to make him do.
To justice be he, worthy is the lamb
that was slain to receive authority.
My subjection to his assault.
Jim Elliot said, he is no fool who
is what he cannot be.
He was just saying the thing.
This is an echo that goes down through
the centuries from the list of men who
followed the logic of Christianity, but then down
to one race total commitment.
Gordon of Yale said, Lord Jesus, I take
in thought as far as my life is
concerned.
I put thee on the throne in my
heart.
Change, cleanse, use me as thou shalt choose.
I take the full power of thy Holy
Spirit.
I thank thee.
Amen.
And, another said, a young girl at Louis
Bible who wants to go to the front
of her Bible.
Lord Jesus, I give up my own purposes
and plans, all my own desires, hopes, and
ambitions, whether they be fleshly or soulish.
I give myself, my life, my all, utterly,
to thine forever.
I hand over to thy keeping all of
my friendships, my love, all the people whom
I love are to take second place in
my heart.
Fill me and fill me with thy Holy
Spirit.
Work out thy whole will in my life
at any cost.
Now and forevermore.
So, she gave a little cross, signed her
name, wrote her name on the cross.
Later she married John Stan.
They went out to church and sealed their
testimony with their bond.
Father Houston, thank you for staying worthy.
It's a lamb of the Lord.
Now, with everything given, we are bound to
Jesus Christ.
But, we have the wonderful privilege tonight to
come together to worship him, pour out our
hearts and emotions in him, and praise the
name of the Lamb that was slain.
And, he will have my submission to his
authority.
Then, the verse goes on to say, worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive
riches.
Once again, you think, riches?
You own cattle and a thousand, you know?
Creator is a sane and a human person.
How can you receive riches?
I think it means my riches, don't you?
I think it means your riches.
I don't have any riches.
I only have my name.
The Lord allows a certain amount to pass
through all of our hands during a lifetime.
Now, this verse says to me, everything I
am, forever I will be worthy of it
all.
Years ago, a young man saw this vision.
He was brought up in Ireland in a
castle.
Some people passed the castle.
They used to raise their noses and tightly
hush her and say, it's so nice to
know Darby.
And, John Nelson Darby turned his back on
wealth and fame and fortune to follow Jesus
Christ.
He traveled for 26 years in Europe without
unpacking his suitcase.
He lived days at a time on acorns
and milk.
One day, he sat in the chief Italian
boarding house and cupped his chin in his
hand and saying, Jesus, I, my prophet, have
come to all believe and follow thee.
What was he saying?
He was saying, worthy is a man that
was slain to receive riches.
He gave him all that he had.
Lady Powert's Court, another fine Christian who lived
at the same time, said, it seems an
insult to that love which gave all for
us to say we love and yet stop
to calculate about giving our all to him
when our all is but two nights.
Better not to love at all.
Better to be cold and lukewarm.
She said, worthy is a lamb that was
slain to receive my riches.
I love to tell about C.T. Studd
as a young man.
After he had been converted, he was born
running.
God set a fire in his soul and
he inherited a fortune and he decided to
put it all to work for Jesus.
But he thought, well, he was marrying this
young bride, and the fairest thing to do
would be at least to turn some of
it over to her.
His faith wouldn't do for her, so he
gave away his part of the fortune, but
reserved some for her.
Incidentally, his part of the fortune went to
starting Moody Bible Institute.
But he explained to her what he was
doing, and she said to him, Charlie, what
did Jesus tell the rich young man to
do?
And Charlie said, he told him to forsake
all and follow him.
And she said, Charlie, let's start our married
life doing what the rich young man failed
to do.
She put it all to work for him.
Worthy is a lamb that was slain to
receive riches.
Worthy is the lamb that was slain to
receive wisdom.
Wisdom personified, isn't he?
Is there anything he doesn't know?
Is there any wisdom he doesn't know?
I don't think that's what it means.
Worthy is the lamb that was slain to
receive the finest of my intellectual power.
It makes me think of that verse in
Luke chapter 10, verse 26, where the Savior
says, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy strength, and with
all thy mind, thy neighbor.
It seems to be the prevalent attitude today
that anyone with unusual intellectual powers should give
them to the world.
That Jesus is worthy of the second death
of somebody else's children.
But that isn't what this verse says.
This verse is worthy of the lamb that
was slain to receive the very death that
I can bring to my mind.
What a wonderful thing to see Christians, young
Christians, keen young Christians coming and putting their
minds on the altar for the Lord Jesus
Christ to be used for him.
Spurgeon said, I like this, he said, In
that day when I surrendered myself to my
Savior, I gave him my body, my soul,
my spirit.
I gave him all I had, and all
I shall have for time and eternity.
I gave him all my talent, my powers,
my faculties, my eyes, my ears, my conscience,
my limbs, my emotions, my judgment, my whole
manhood, and all that could come of it.
Whatever fresh capacity or new capability I might
be endowed with.
And later on F.D. Meyer said, Of
all the minds God gave him, he made
the most of it.
So I think of that when we come
to the Lord's table and we bow before
him.
Worthy is the lamb that was slain to
receive.
Dear young believer here tonight, are you giving
your mind to him, or have you saved
that for the unworthy world?
And then it says, Strengthworthy is the lamb
that was slain to receive strength.
You don't need any strength, do you?
Worthy is the very finest of my physical
powers.
My, the Olympic Games have just been going
on, and I certainly wouldn't disparage them, because
I admire the discipline of young people today
who will train, and practice, and exercise, and
go forth after the living.
But I tell you there's something better, there's
something better than living.
Something better than the poor withering weak that
they give in mockery of.
That's a crown of glory, but say that's
not a thing.
Worthy is the lamb that was slain to
receive strength.
There's nothing more sensible, rational, reasonable than that
I, for whom the Savior has died, to
take the very finest of my strength and
extend it to you.
But didn't he have the lamb?
We're saying that, in effect, when we come
to worship him.
I'll never forget when those five fellows died
for Christ down in Alcaland, in Ecuador, and
the word got to me that Peter Fleming
had a favorite hymn.
It was in the InterVarsity Hymnbook, and I
went to it, and looked it up, and
I'll never forget how loudly it spoke to
me.
It says this, and it's really saying, in
effect, worthy is the lamb that was slain
to receive strength.
My strength, Lord in the fullness of my
might, I would for thee be strong, while
runneth o'er each dear delight, to thee
should rise my song.
I would not give the world my heart,
and then protect thy love.
I would not feel my strength depart, and
then thy service prove.
I would not with swift winged zeal on
the world's errands go, then labor up the
heavenly hill with weary feet and flow.
O, not for thee my deep desires, my
poorer, baser heart!
O, not for thee my fading fires, the
ashes of my heart!
O, choose me in my golden time, in
my dear joys at heart, for thee the
glory of my prime, the fullness of my
heart.
It's only reasonable, isn't it?
It's only reasonable that we should come to
him with all our strength.
This is a chant that's going on in
heaven right now.
Ten thousand times, ten thousand, and thousands and
thousands, saying what's on it for us.
Worthy is the lamb that was slain to
receive strength.
My strength for Jesus.
Worthy is the lamb that was slain to
receive honor.
My, what do we know really about praising
the Lord?
What do we know about hearts overflowing with
love for him, and with a single pure
desire to bring honor to his name?
That's what it says to me.
I think of dear John the Baptist, how
he had that passion burning within him.
I must be true, he must be true.
I think of men and women of God
down through the centuries, and their great desire
with them is he honor and call upon
honor and glory from the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is worthy of all.
Crown him with many crowns, the lamb upon
the throne.
Worthy is the lamb that was slain to
receive honor.
Should we spend every moment of every day
chanting and singing the praise of our Lord,
it would be none too much.
Worthy is the lamb that was slain to
receive glory.
Mostly in this world he doesn't receive glory.
In fact, the only the only glory he
receives is from redeeming goodness.
And when you think of what little portion
of the church's life is spent today in
pure worship, it really is amazing.
And yet he misses it.
He misses it.
I really believe with all my heart that
the Lord Jesus has an appointment with me
at the Lord's table every week.
But I believe when I'm not there, he
is there.
I come from California, and I'm sorry to
say that the attitude in many places in
California is that no meeting could be allowed
to interfere with a trip to the house
of Jesus.
But when I think of that, I think
of the day Jesus came to the house
of Simon the Pharisee.
Do you know what he said to him?
He said, Simon, when I came to your
house, you gave me no gift.
You gave me no gift.
What does it tell me it tells me?
He missed me.
If I'm redeemed by the blood of the
Lamb, and I'm not there to remember it,
then he misses it.
He's infinitely worthy of it, and yet we
forget.
It's so easy for us to take the
glory to ourselves, to take the glory to
ourselves, and to neglect gifts.
Be careful not to touch the glory.
And finally, worthy is the Lamb that was
slain to receive blessing.
What does this mean?
It means all my powers, all my powers
of praise for him.
You know, it's marvelous when you stop to
think of it, how easy it is for
us to work up enthusiasm over chasing a
little white ball over 18 greens.
It's marvelous how we can get enthusiastic over
baseball, or talk with such proficiency about a
new card.
And yet, when it comes to pouring blessings
upon the worthy Lord Jesus, there's sometimes something
the matter, isn't there?
Young men and older men as well, when
we need to worship the Lord, come with
your baskets full, and don't be a dumb
priest.
I believe one of our regrets when we
get to heaven is that we didn't worship
and praise the Lord.
Don't you think?
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive authority.
My subjection to his authority and riches all
that I possess is his unjustice, and wisdom,
the very finest of my intellectual power, and
strength, the best of my physical powers, for
him an honor, and glory, and blessing.
Some time ago, I was in a home.
Somebody played a record.
Paul Sandberg singing, Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
of honor, and glory, and blessing.
And, you know, the Spirit of God is
very present in that room.
And when that record's finished, one of the
brothers broke down weeping, and when he finally
regained his composure, he said to another brother,
that's what we're going to be singing throughout
all eternity.
Well, dear friends, we don't have to wait.
We can start right now.
So, as we need to remember the Lord,
may our hearts be open to him, whether
audibly or silently.
May the house tonight be filled with the
odor of the ointment.