Revelation 5:4-5 ESV and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. (5) 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.”
There is some similarity between Isaiah’s vision in Isaiah 6 and what John observes here. What an incredible thing it must be to gather in the sights and sounds of the throne room of the LORD God Almighty! Certainly He is worthy of all worship, honor, and glory. To see and hear these magnificent angelic creatures uttering praise to the Lord must have been an incredible experience and certainly John would have felt both God’s grandeur and his own insignificance.
When John sees there is a scroll that needs to be opened and no creature is worthy enough to open the scroll he weeps. In that moment he feels the weight of inadequacy and that no one was adequate to open this scroll. Then Jesus steps forward. He is Worthy. He has conquered sin and death. The world belongs to him twice. Once for it’s creation, and now through it’s redemption.
I was reminded to come to the Lord today in awe and worship. Jesus is worthy of all of our praise and adoration. He stood in the gap between men and God and purchased our salvation.
If you can, imagine a world where sin was left unchecked. Where for all of our striving, all we were accomplishing was our own damnation. Where everything we called good was actually an offense to our maker. Where no one was capable of worshipping God. Where the Creator was only mocked. That the only way He would or could be glorified was by the eternal damnation and destruction of a rebellious people. What a terrible place this earth would be. It would literally be Hell.
Now imagine, what if the Lord were to rescue and redeem all of creation. What if he took sin away from the world? Where folks walked down the street without lust, greed, envy, hatred or strife. What if everyone, everywhere genuinely loved one another and wanted the best for one another. What if everyone was genuinely happy to see other doing well? What a place this earth would be. That would be Heaven!
Jesus is worthy of all praise and worship because he has bridged the divide between man and God that was created by sin. He has redeemed those who have believed on him to eternal life. He created, preserved, and ultimately redeemed this world.
Father, thank you for Jesus Christ who is worthy of all of our worship. Thank you that He is worthy to step up and open the scroll here in Revelation. Thank you that he is worthy to rule the world. Thank you that you are sovereign in all of creation. Thank you that you have a plan for redemption and restoration for people who are sinners like me. THank you for the gift of faith that I can trust Jesus Christ and follow Him. Thank you for your overwhelming mercy and grace. You are worthy of all our worship. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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