ONLY GOD IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP (II)
Christ is Worthy of Worship

Text: Revelation 5
The focus of the heavenly scene now shifts from the one who was sitting on the throne
to the sealed book present at His right hand. We must not regard this book like the
books that we have today which consists of printed pieces of paper which are bound
together, but rather a scroll. The importance of the scroll is seen by the fact that it is
sealed not just by one seal but seven.

What then is the content of the scroll, that it needed to be sealed with seven seals?
Considering the events that will unfold in the later chapters, we see that it is the title
deed to the entire world. This world is currently permitted to be placed under the
dominion of Satan, who is the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2) and the god of
this world (2 Cor. 4:4). However, the time has come for the only begotten Son of God
to reclaim what is rightfully His. The breaking of each seal will thus represent one step
closer of the claim of the Lamb of God over the entire world.

For an example of a title deed in the Bible, please see Jeremiah 32:9-15.
(I) No One is Worthy (v.1-4)
A strong angel then posed the critical question – “Who is worthy to open the book, and
to loose the seals thereof?” (i.e. Who is worthy to lay claim to have sovereignty over
the entire world? Who is worthy to regain paradise which was lost?) When one
considers the creatures of the world, the answer is an emphatic “no”. There is no
creature that has the necessary merits or qualifications to take the scroll from the right
hand of God. As Thomas rightly observed, none of the creatures have the worthiness
Christ has in terms of His “office and His moral competency.” Therefore, none was
able to break the seals and open the scroll.

The Apostle John was so deeply grieved that no one qualified was found to be able to
break the seal that he shed many tears. The word for weeping, klaio, indicates a deep
and intense heart-felt anguish of the situation before him. His reaction stands in stark
contrast to the nonchalant attitude and apathy towards God seen in professing
Christians today. What can you learn from John’s reaction?

(II) Only One is Worthy (v.5-7)
One of the elders told John that he should stop weeping, for there is one who is worthy.
The worthy one is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is worthy because of the
following reasons:
• He is King
• He is called the Lion of Judah. See Genesis 49:9-10. The lion is the king of the
animals. This expression depicts the majesty of Christ and how He is the
conquering king.
• He is called the Root of David. This speaks of Christ as the descendant of David
and the fulfilment of the Davidic Covenant. He is the King that will sit on the
Throne of David forever.
• He is the Redeemer
• While Christ is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah, He is also seen here as a
Lamb that was slain. This depicts the redemptive work of Christ, how as the
spotless Lamb of God, He was the sacrifice and the propitiation of sins.
• He is God
• He is seen as having seven horns and eyes, depicting perfect power (i.e.
omnipotence) and perfect knowledge (omniscience).
• He is seen as having the seven spirits of God. This reveals the unity (oneness) of
Christ and the Holy Spirit as taught in the doctrine of the trinity.

(III) Praise for the Worthy (v. 8-14)
The saints are seen praising God for His redemptive work. He is worthy to be praised
because only He is the Messiah. Without Christ, the saints would be lost, Therefore, He
is every bit worthy of the saints to render their praise. They ended with a doxology,
praising God as being worthy to receive “power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and honour, and glory, and blessing.”

Conclusion
If we are to render true worship unto God, we must first know the God whom we
worship, for “he that cometh to God must believe that he is.” Our worship becomes cold
when we fail to appreciate the God we worship. We worship God because of His
perfections. We worship God because of His works of creation, providence and
redemption. Only God alone is worthy of all worship.

ILLUSTRATIONS ON THE WORSHIP OF GOD
Taken form Paul Lee Tan’s Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations

God Saw Nothing But Sincere Child

A man was carried in a dream to a church. In his vision, he saw the organist
vigorously playing the organ, but no sound was heard. The choir and
congregation began to sing, but their voices were not heard. Then the minister
began, energetically, to pray, but no tones came from his lips.

The man turned in wonder to his angel guide. “You hear nothing,” said the angel,
“because there is nothing to hear. These people are not engaged in worship, but in
the form of worship. Their hearts are not touched, and this silence is the silence
that is yet unbroken in the presence of God. But listen now.”

And listening, the man heard a child’s voice, clear and distinct in all that silence,
while the minister seemed to pray, and the people seemed to join. Only the child’s
voice was heard, because only the child’s heart was touched. “That,” said the
guide, “is the only true worship in all this great church today: all the others are
concerned with but the appearance of worship.”

Shaping God to Fit Understanding

If worship is not happening among God’s people today, it is because we have
shaped our concepts of God to fit our own understanding. We have measured
Him by our intellect and feel quite free to expect Him to answer all our “whys,”
as though our brains were adequate to handle

His answers. We have “worshipped” only when we decided that God had lived
up to our expectations.

As a tear magnifies grief, as laughter magnifies humour, as a smile magnifies
joy, so worship magnifies God. Worship is not so much words as it is an
automatic response of your own utter smallness to a God too big – too big to
wrap your mind around, too big to figure out.

Ideal Church Layout

There is a legend concerning a layman who promised to build a badly needed
new auditorium for the church if permitted to keep the construction plan secret
until the first day it was used. The big crowd came early and seated near the
door, one row at a time. When they were seated, the pews rolled automatically
down to the front. The process continued until all were seated. The preacher was
so carried away by the occasion, he was just getting wound up well at twelve
o’clock. Sharply at two minutes past twelve, a trap door opened, and the
preacher dropped into the basement.

Yours affectionately,
Pastor Clement Chew