Torch, Summer 2000

Some of us weep about what Christianity is not, what it’s not in our lives, what it’s not in families, what it’s not in our churches, and what it’s not in our society. We have a tendency to think that the program of God has been brought to a halt and is not worthy of our investment and sacrifice. Well, I want to say to you what this angel said to John, “Hey, come on, get a handkerchief out. Get those tears out of your eyes so that you can see clearly. Behold the Lion from the Tribe of Judah. Because while no man is worthy, He is worthy; He hath prevailed. And He can open the scrolls.” Some of you are looking at the wrong place. How many of you have ever really sat down and asked God, “What is it that You want to do with my life?” I know you have made plans, and you have desires and you have dreams, but how many of you have asked, “God, what do want me to do?” How many are focused on the Lamb? We have the power of God behind us. The Lamb is worthy to be slain. He was able to take that scroll from the hands of God. When John recognized the worthiness of the Lamb, his sobbing stopped. Verse 9 reads, “And they sung a new song, saying, ‘Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?’ And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.” John, on the Isle of Patmos, suffering for the Lord Jesus Christ, had a vision of the resurrected Christ. And an angel asked John, “Who is worthy to open this scroll? Who is worthy to open the future events that God is going to bring in the path? Who is worthy to tell us about the judgment that God will bring upon those who have opposed and those who have rejected Christianity and rejected Christ, rejected the Word of God and will spend an eternity in the devil’s hell? Who is worthy to open the scroll of God’s judgments and God’s justice and ultimately God bringing everything under His control?” And he said, “I found no man worthy. There is nobody in heaven, there is nobody on earth, saint or sinner, neither one, was found worthy to open that scroll.” Not one of us is worthy to save the soul of an unsaved person. We can give people the Gospel of Jesus of Christ; we can give them the Word of God. It may be an unsaved mom, an unsaved dad, an unsaved sister or brother. It may be a friend, an athlete, or a politician. Maybe it’s somebody from another religious background. But, you and I can’t save a soul. Some of us are weeping like John was weeping. Nobody’s worthy to open this scroll. We find ourselves weeping before God, “I want to see them saved, Lord; I want to see them come to You.” But none of us is worthy to make it happen. Neither is any of us worthy to revive the church. Nobody’s worthy to put in the hearts of Christians a deep love and compassion for Christ. Nobody’s worthy to give Christians a fire for the Word of God—a desire for the Son of God and a passion to advance the Kingdom of God that supercedes any passion that they have. Our churches are declining. Our churches are being distracted from the Word of God and distracted from the Son of God. We rarely call our people to make sacrifices anymore. We are a “Burger King” generation. We want to have it our way. But I want to tell you something. We’re not worthy. John was broken and perhaps some of you are broken, perhaps some of you have lost hope. Some of you are sitting in a Christian school, but in your heart of hearts you have said, “Christianity is not worth it. Christianity is not all it’s cracked up to be. When I get out of this school I’m going to go do what I really want to do. I’m going with the real people, where real advancements are being made.” Take heart, though, because this text tells us, “Worthy is the Lamb!” Verse 5 reads, “And one of the elders saith unto me, ‘Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.’” John was weeping, and he was told to behold the Lamb who had prevailed. Torch 9