C, Easter 3 - Revelation 5:11-12 "Worthy is the Word"
This weekend has brought to a climax, weeks of words. Through all these words, every person has
been asked to consider who and what is worthy of their support. Words all working towards enticing you to
choose who is worthy to be a winner.
How does one work out who or what is worthy? What is worthiness?
When hidden reality was revealed to John, the question of
worthiness was asked of him.
John tells us, “Then
I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written
within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty 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 began to weep loudly because no one was
found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said
to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of
David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’”
(Revelation 5:1–5 ESV)
We too, might want to weep loudly with a world of words
competing for worthiness within. Vying
for our attention is all sorts of stuff coming at us from every direction.
Words from others, words from what one reads, words from what one hears! Words in the airways, coming from the mouths
of others, meet our ears and enter in. We
try to make sense of these words with our own internal words. These are words we’ve heard in the past, and for
whatever reason, hang onto as truth.
Some of the things we’ve heard in the past have proven to
be good at first but then have soured and left a very bad taste in our
mouths. On the other hand, some words
sound wonky and unlikely to be right, but time or experience has proven them to
be true for now. It seems the amount of information at our fingertips today has
not made us more informed. Instead, it
seems to have made us more cynical and sceptical.
The electronic world in which we live has allowed us to
become a knee jerk society. Words seem
to jerk us around, pulling at us, tugging on one’s inner strings, this way and
that, to impatiently persuade in an instant.
Words appear to have lost their influence from a creative single truth. Words have become a tool of persuasion. Truth
is no longer objective, but rather, it’s now optional!
Many having been won over in the past by words less than
truthful, become cynical and sceptical.
Hearing, seeing, authorship, reality, are less and less trusted in an
artificial world where everything has become “subjective and temporary”. No “objective or supreme” truth can be
trusted. In other words, we no longer
trust anything apart from what’s within the self.
We live in a world where truth has no foundation, which has
led to a world of confusion and chaos.
The loss of objective truth outside of us, is most dangerous for
everyone in the world, when truth is lost in God’s church, to the subjective
chaotic lies branded as truths.
When worthiness is lost to subjectivity, people go back
into the self, collectively and individually seeking self-worth. We ask ourselves, “Who can open the scroll of
truth in our society today?” Some place
their trust in this; others in that! A war of words begins. It’s politicised, polarising, and paralysing. It’s a
war of half-truths and sin. One’s subjective
truth is pitted against another, and if left to fester, brother is separated
from brother, children are detached from parents, neighbour becomes nasty towards
neighbour, race riots against race, one population plunders another, due to misguided
self-worth.
We find ourselves teetering on the edge, asking, “What is
not a lie? What’s truth? Everything’s a lie!”
In his revelation, John sees all this in himself and
everyone else. He sees the lie of his
humanity, and the contradiction of words within himself and within the
world. He weeps that no one can open the
scroll and unseal the Word of Truth. But
an elder proclaims to him, “Weep no more;
behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so
that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:5 ESV)
The Lamb of God has conquered! He is the Tree of Life, the Root of
David. The Lion of Judah, the Lamb of
God, is risen as God’s Ram from Mount Moriah having been sacrificed with his
head in the thorns. He is the Word made
flesh, the Objective Truth made Subjective Flesh, the Son of God and the Son of
Man. Now his flesh has been raised in objective
truth as the only Worthy Word!
What is truth? What
is not a lie? Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Who or what is worthy? Not you! Not me!
Not our words! Jesus Christ is
worthy because the testimony of the water, in which you were baptised, because
of the testimony of his blood, which you take and drink for the forgiveness of
sins, life, and salvation, and because of the testimony of the Holy Spirit,
which is greater than any testimony of humanity (1 John 5:6-12).
Jesus is the only one worthy to open the scroll, the truth
of his Word. His life, death, and
resurrection is the only true eternal testimony. The word of neither women nor men, neither politician
nor pastor, is greater than Jesus’ Word.
Unfortunately, many even inside the church have become
cynical and sceptical towards the truth of Jesus’ Word. We are all tempted to take his word and
filter it through our human understanding, to make Jesus, worthy in a way we
see fit.
We are told in Hebrews chapter thirteen, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to
you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate
their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:7–8 ESV)
In this unchanging sameness John looked and 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.” (Revelation 5:6b–7 ESV)
Remember the pastors you have called here in this parish.
These are repentant men sent by God to point you to the worthiness of Jesus
Christ, and the scroll he has opened, not to themselves or for their own
worthiness. By the power of the Holy
Spirit, these men have not called you to be illuminated by the world. But have called you by the worthiness of the
Lamb to illuminate him in the world with his sevenfold character in the Holy
Spirit.
The scroll of the truth is open by Jesus Christ. Let the Holy Spirit open your heart to the
sevenfold character of Jesus’ worthiness, as God’s only begotten Word of Truth. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus’
worthy character is one of power, wealth, wisdom, might, honour, glory, and
blessing.
With regards to power, not only does Jesus have power, but
he has omnipotent eternal power.
Jesus’ wealth is a wealth that survives your grave and is
rich in eternal life.
The wisdom of Jesus’ Word is unfathomable. But at the same
time, its clarity is so simple a child can grasp it.
Despite being the Lamb of God, Jesus’ might, is second to
none. Not even a foolish fox could
devour this Lamb's worthiness! You are little
lambs under the Lamb of God, protected by the worthiness of his might!
Jesus’ worthiness has a greater value than silver or gold! Therefore, you, priests of God’s kingdom, can give
away your earthly kingdoms, trusting in the honour or prize of Jesus’
worthiness.
The glory of God’s children is in the worthiness of Jesus’
power, wealth, wisdom, might, and honour.
This glory begins with God, but it also ends with God — Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. Test yourself to see you’re
not a blockage hindering God’s glory. Pray that God disciplines you as disciples of
his glory. As disciples of his glory,
Jesus makes you worthy, that is, holy in the sight of God our Father.
Therefore, in Christ’s worthiness you are priests in God’s
kingdom, eulogised by Jesus’ worthiness.
All the eulogising pomp and ceremony of ourselves in our death is now worthless
compared to the goodness of Jesus, in the worthiness of what he has done for you. You and I are not blessed in ourselves, but
in the worthiness of him alone, his blessedness makes you and me a blessing to
others.
So, let the sevenfold Holy Spirit of God that rested on
Jesus and led him to death, and through it, rest on you. As Jesus allowed the Spirit to lead him, let
the sevenfold Spirit open your heart to Jesus’ worthiness. To reject all other power, wealth, wisdom,
might, honour, glory, and blessing and be made worthy of eternal life by Jesus’
power, wealth, wisdom, might, honour, glory, and blessing.
Worthy is the Word of God, yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.
