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Greetings, this is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church with a

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moment of truth where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith.

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And today, I want to challenge you to think through the issue of who is worthy to take

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the scroll from the hand of the Father seated upon his throne, that seven-sealed scroll that

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we looked at last week. And we indeed saw that there was one worthy to take that seven-sealed

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scroll, which we've seen is the inheritance of the Father to the Son. A scroll with seven

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seals in the ancient world was unmistakably a last will and testament. And that's precisely

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what the Lord offers from his throne in this majestic scene of heaven, isn't it? There

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is one that we find worthy to take that scroll. Well, before we commence with our understanding

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of this text in Revelation chapter 5, we're in Revelation here on this radio program, but

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we're also in the book of Revelation in a community Bible study. And I want to encourage you to join

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us for this community Bible study. It's been going on for now four or five weeks. I'm beginning

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to lose track of just how long we've had this Bible study. It's been so fun. It's been a really

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good effort on everyone's part to be able to fellowship around the scriptures, around the

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text, the book of Revelation. And both myself and Pastor Mike Gillia are leading this Bible

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study. And it's on Thursday nights, begins at 7 p.m. at Starbucks on 17th Street in Idaho

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Falls. And we've been rendezvousing there with a number of people, anywhere from 8 or 9 to

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15, 16 people. And we get some coffee and sit down around a big table. We've been having

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fun fellowshipping together. And Mike and I have been taking turns leading the group. And

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we just encourage you to come and join us as well, if you'd like. If you've never been to New

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Geneva or if you're not familiar with Pastor Mike Gillia of Share the Sun Ministries, then

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this is a good time to come out and meet us in a friendly atmosphere, not behind a church

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door or church walls, but at the friendly confines of Starbucks on 17th Street. Thursday evenings

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at 7 p.m. And we run to about 8.15. We try to end at 8.15 promptly. You can get out of

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there and get back to your families. But we encourage you to come out and join us. Friendly

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atmosphere and time to relax and discuss. Let your hair down and interact with others on

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their understanding of the book of Revelation. So we encourage you to go ahead and do that.

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Well, let's get back then to our text. I'm excited about chapter 5 of Revelation because

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it unfolds for so much of the church's worship and reasons for worship and styles for worship,

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suggestions for worship, in fact, guidance for worship. The early church plumbed the depths

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of Revelation to shape and form her worship. We're intended to do so. So let's get to it,

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shall we? Revelation chapter 5 verses 6 through 10. And for context, I'm going to begin at

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verse 1 and read right on through verse 10 if you want to follow along. Revelation chapter 5.

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I'm going to talk about 6 through 10, but read 1 through 10.

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Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the

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back sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice,

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who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals. And no one in heaven or under the earth was

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able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I began to weep loudly because I found worthy to

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open the scroll or look into it. And one of the elders said to me, weep no more. Behold, the lion of

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the tribe of Judah, the tribe of David, has conquered so that he can open the scroll and its

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seven seals. And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a lamb

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standing as though it had been slain with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven

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spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of

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him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, four living creatures and the 24

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elders fell down before the lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are

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the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song saying, worthy are you to take the scroll and to

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open its seals. You were slain by your blood. You ransomed the people of God from every tribe and

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language and people and nation. And you have made them a kingdom and priest to our God and they shall

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reign on the earth. Oh, what a powerful text, isn't it? And we saw last week that it was the lion of the

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tribe of Judah initially found worthy to take the scroll. And John turns to see the lion of the tribe

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of Judah. And what does he see? He sees among the four living creatures and the elders. Now we saw

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this cast of characters, didn't we? Two in weeks past and how important they are to the presence of the

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Lord God Almighty seated upon the throne with that scroll in his hand. And among the four living

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creatures and the 24 elders, John sees a lamb standing as though it had been slain with seven horns and

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seven eyes. And those are indeed the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Now we unpacked

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this pretty carefully last week that indeed the seven sealed scroll of the father is a will and

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testament by which he who can open it inherits all of creation as his possession. This is what's at stake.

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And we see now it is the lamb then who receives the scroll because he is the one who is worthy. He is the one

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who has died the death of the testator. And he is the one who is worthy to open those seven seals.

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It's counterintuitive that a lamb should inherit, that a lamb should conquer, is it not? But not in

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God's world, not in God's theology. Indeed, it is the lamb who is worthy to do so because he died the

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death of the testator. Centuries of preparation for the lamb to inherit. All through the worship,

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the temple, you have the sacrificial lamb at the altar preparing the hearts and minds of the Jews

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and Israel and God's people and all the world, really, the reality of the sacrifice of the true

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lamb, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, in his sacrifice upon the cross for the sins of his people.

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And by this, he has bought people as the hymn sings, right? You are slain and by your blood,

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you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Oh, we ended then

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last week looking at verse seven in which then, uh, he took the scroll from the right hand of him

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who's seated on the throne. Jesus dies the death of the testator. That is the one who made the will and

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testament, but he is also the inheritor at the same time. In the same way, he is the lion and the lamb

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simultaneously. So as we reprise the Agnus day in our worship services, and in fact, the early

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services, the worship services of the church, the portion of, uh, the worship service dedicated to

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the Lord Jesus Christ is called the Agnus day. That is the lamb of God in Latin. And in our worship,

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we acknowledge and teach the power and the sovereignty and the worthiness then of our Jesus

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Christ in this portion of the service, the Agnus day. Well then what does verse eight have to say to

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us? Verse eight, and of course reads, and when he had taken the scroll for living creatures and the

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24 elders fell down before the lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowl full of incense, which are the

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prayers of the saints. And verse eight then of the Agnus day tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ

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elicits organically as the lamb of God, the reverence prayers of the stewards creation. The first

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narrative action that's taken right after the lamb's liturgical action of taking the scroll from

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the father. What is that? There is a narrative action that is taken right after the lamb's

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liturgical action of taking the scroll from his father. What is that? The first narrative action

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taken after this inaugural liturum is that of worship. Yes. When he'd taken the scroll, the four

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living creatures, the 24 elders fell down before the lamb, each holding a harp and bowls full of

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incense, which are theirs of the saints. These mighty beings in order closest to the throne of God,

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so close to the throne of the almighty, they begin to take dominion of his inheritance with one of the

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weapons of our warfare to worship. Yes, brothers and sisters, our worship is indeed a weapon in the

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arsenal of the people of God as we take dominion of all of creation. Indeed, we are a kingdom of saints,

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are we not? We are kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth. That idea of reigning

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is here and now. We take dominion now. Dominion is our destiny, brothers and sisters. And one of the

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weapons of our warfare, it's not carnal, is it? None of the weapons of our warfare are carnal,

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but spiritual and strong, as the apostle Paul would put it. And one of those weapons of our

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worship is that of worship. Ah, these mighty beings so close to the throne of the almighty

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symbolize this weapon of our warfare, this worship symbolized so beautifully in the two objects of

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worship as warfare. Number one, harps, right? Harps with which we hymn the praise of God. Dear brothers

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and sisters, we are given instruments of the church, are we not, in order to make music unto the God. And

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when we do, it is a sweet savor in the nostrils of God of all the universe. He takes a light in our

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worship. Underestimate this, brothers and sisters. If you think you have a cranky, tenured voice, then I

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would suggest you sing gustily. Nevertheless, sing with a full-throated voice and don't let anyone

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steal your voice, brothers and sisters. Don't be too self-conscious of your singing voice, but

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indeed, raise your voice in song to the Lord your God, because the Lord your God takes delight in

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your worship. He takes delight when you sing and when you make music. Those of you who are in praise

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bands, perhaps, or you accompany in the life of the church, you have a vital, vital function in the worship

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of God's people. And so I encourage you, whether you're clanging a cymbal or whether you're playing

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a guitar or playing a piano or an organ, whatever instrument you play, do so unto the Lord and do so

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with great love and reverence, because the Lord takes delight in your accompaniment. And you will hear

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those words, well done, good and faithful servant, when you come into the Lord's presence, as you make

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music unto the Lord. It's one of the great weapons of our warfare. It delights the people of God. It lifts

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up our hearts and spirits to the Lord God, but it also, make no mistake about this, it also strikes terror

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into the hearts of the evil. It also indeed brings defeat to Satan and his minions, because we take more

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and more ground every day and every time that we worship, brothers and sisters. It's one of the

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weapons of our warfare. And then with bowls of incense, too, offering up bowls of incense, they do here in

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verse 8. And these are told to us to be the prayers of the saints. Indeed, all worship for millennia.

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This idea of the prayers of the saints, of being offered up in worship, was prepared in the temple

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worship, when the priest would bring incense then to the Holy of Holies at the altar of incense. And

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that beautiful recipe given in Exodus for the incense of the church, when all of that was blended and then

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burnt, it had a sweet, sweet savor that would walk its way up through the temple. And there was always

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a discreet opening at the top of the temple, through which the smoke of the incense being burnt

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representing the prayers of God's people. And then the smoke from the burnt sacrifice,

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the rich smell of burning meat, in other words, would also waft up through that opening in the top

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and drift symbolically towards heaven then and towards God himself. And he would then take sweet

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delight in the sweet savor of the sacrifices and of the incense, the prayers of his people.

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And we have that reality now in the heavenly temple, where God takes our prayers, hears the prayers of the

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saints, and takes delight in them too. So in your worship, another weapon of our warfare, in worship,

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brothers and sisters, which we take dominion right now. We don't have to wait for some imagined,

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supposed literal thousand-year kingdom that's supposedly coming. The kingdom of God is already

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here. We submit to you. And we take dominion here and now. We have a kingdom here and now. And we take

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ground. We defeat the enemy. We take further and further dominion in this kingdom every day and every

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time that we worship. Just remember, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, God has ordained strength

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because of his enemies in order to still hit the enemy and the avenger, the psalmist says. So even

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your children, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, God has ordained strength. So your children

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even are mighty conquerors when they are in the worship service singing, perhaps, or saying the

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Lord's Prayer, or reciting one of the texts of the Bible, all of these things. More and more, your children

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and everybody in the worship service is taking further and further dominion in our worship. The principle

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of the church fathers when they were crafting the early worship services was that heaven inaugurates

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worship. Very important principle to understand. Heaven inaugurates worship. That of ours on earth

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must reflect the pattern of heaven, not the other way around. Heaven is this, dear brothers and

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sisters. It's not necessarily worship with soft lighting and crooning soloists and Bonob, the MC-type

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pastors. No, it is worship in which all the congregation participates in prayers and in the singing.

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The life of the church. That is very much a part of what verse 8 is telling us. Well then, how about

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verse 9? We are in Revelation chapter 5, and we're looking at verses 6 through 10, and we are up to

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verse 9, where they sing a new song. They sang a new song, saying, worthy are you to take the scroll

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and it seals, for you are slain. And by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and

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language and people and nation. Oh, this is a determining verse that's going to cast its shadow

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long over the rest of the book of Revelation. So we must understand this verse very clearly.

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Verses 9 and 10 then tell us, in the worship of Agnus Dei, the Lamb God, our Lord Jesus Christ is

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hymned majestically as the Lamb of God for the chief reason He reigns over all creation. Verses 9 and 10.

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The idea of a new song. It is a covenant term, brothers and sisters. It has to do with a covenant

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order. God is a covenant-working God. He works in covenants, not dispensations. And the covenant term,

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new song, indicates a turning point in redemptive history. New term, that, I'm sorry, this term,

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the idea of a new song. It indicates a turning point in redemptive history. For example, the Song

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of Moses in Exodus, commemorating the deliverance at the Red Sea for 15, the Song of Moses. It was a new

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song as well. That is a turning point in redemptive history. The Psalms of David, commemorating God's

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covenant made with David, promising a king to reign perpetually upon his throne, is a new song as well.

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Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing his praise in the assembly of the godly, the

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psalmist declare. Because, indeed, it was a turning point in redemptive history. Well, here, indeed,

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with the inheritance being taken, we have a turning point in redemptive history, as the son will begin

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to conquer and subdue the creation that's been ceded to him. That which is so beautifully hymned

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is the ancient testimony in this new song, a turning point in redemptive history. And that which is so

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beautifully hymned is the ancient testament ceremony, where the son would break the seals

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to open the scroll and receive the promised inheritance. That's what we're seeing unfolding

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before us. The ancient testament ceremony, where the son would break the seals to open the scroll

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and receive the promised inheritance of his own, the very presence of the seven witnesses who sealed it.

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That is, the seven spirits of God, right? They are also here with us before the throne. The whole

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personhood of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all represented here before the

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throne at this great ancient testament ceremony. Arise, O God, judge the earth, Psalm 82 says.

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Psalm 82, verse 8 anticipates the ceremony, where Psalm 82, 8 says, Arise, O God, judge the earth,

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for you shall inherit all the nations. Here we have that ceremony being undertaken,

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where indeed God will judge the earth and inherit all the nations. This is that time. Psalm 111,

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verse 6 says, He has shown his people the power of his works in giving them the inheritance of the

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nations. Here's that inheritance now forecast, foreshadowed in the Psalms. That ceremony now

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inheritance ceremony now transpiring before our eyes here in the book of Revelation. Oh, he's shown his

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people the power of his works in giving them, that is us, his church, his people. He gives us the

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inheritance of the nations. That this is true and coherent with our thesis is sung then by this

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heavenly chorus in three different sections. We see that right here. First of all, we have the

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declaration of authenticity. That is the lion and the lamb is declared to be the authentic son to

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receive, to open, and take the contents of the scroll. He says it when they sing, worthy are you to

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take the scroll and to open its seals. That's the declaration of authenticity. And then the second

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part, we have the declarations of the grounds for this authenticity. Why is the lamb worthy to receive

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his inheritance? The text says for, right? Now that little preposition indicates that what follows

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serves as the ground for what went before. For you were slain, that is the death of the testator has

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happened, which then inaugurates the inheritance that brings the will into effect. But this was no

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ordinary death either. You were slain, right? It was also an efficacious death. That is, it accomplished

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something. That is, Christ died a vicarious death. That is, in place of someone. That is, in place of

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ourselves, in place of us, the church. Just as the blood of a lamb ransomed the firstborn for God at

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Passover, so the blood of this lamb ransomed the universal people for God. Universal, that is, from every

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tribe and language and people and nation. Oh, what a marvelous, expansive thing has happened. And this is

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really the only basis for true unity, brothers and sisters. We need to bring this to the world in a fractured,

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divided world. True unity comes in the body of Christ, in no other. Well, as a direct consequence

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of his dying in our place, he has then dominion over us. That is, we are his. Always, the one who pays

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the ransom owns that which he ransoms. And that's us. And oh, what a benevolent owner we have. An owner

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that loves us, right? Even as Ruth was ransomed, so we have been ransomed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

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But he is not a tyrant, is he? He is certainly not a tyrant. Because in number three, we see the

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declaration of co-heirs. We indeed are co-heirs with Christ. We are co-heirs with him. And if children,

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as Paul says, if we are his children, then we are heirs. Heirs of God, as Paul says. Heirs of God.

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And fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him, in order that we may also be glorified with

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him. In Romans 8, 17, he declares that we are heirs of God, fellow heirs with Christ.

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Will, that will be opened here in the Testament, it will detail that Christ has made us kings and

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priests with him. Not in some future kingdom, but in the kingdom right now. We are reigning now with

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Christ. We are priests now before his God, now with him. That's been a consistent theme all through

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Revelation, and it's going to continue to be a theme all through Revelation.

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To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us kings and priests to his God

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and father. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. That established then in worship will

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become fact on the ground. We're going to see this in the book of Revelation. The kingdom, the thousand

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year reign of Christ is not in the future. It is happening now. We are kings and priests now. We are

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taking a kingdom now. Dominion is our destiny, and it has begun already. And don't be behind the curve on

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this, brothers and sisters. We need to get up to speed and begin taking dominion in our own world,

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too, with the weapons of our warfare that have been given us, including worship and prayer and the blood

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of the saints and the word of God. All of these things that established in worship here in our text

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before us will become fact on the ground all through the book of Revelation. It cannot be thwarted.

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It will transpire. It will be. Do you see the power of worship, dear listener today? Do you see why the

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apocalypse oscillates between heaven and earth? We see the worship of heaven and its great power and

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glory, and it is so here on the earth as well, as meager and as unimpressive as it may seem to us.

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Your voice, for instance, may not be the most beautiful and glorious, singing like a lark, but

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nevertheless, you need to sing. Give it your best in your worship services, because indeed, God takes

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delight in your worship, and you take dominion when you do. Do you see why the fathers and the reformers

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as well modeled their worship after heavenly liturgy? Oh, it's a weapon of our warfare. Well,

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dear listener, I would just encourage you to join us on Sunday morning worship here at New Geneva, too.

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We'd love to see you. We'd love to have you worship with us and participate in our glorious worship,

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although it may not always seem so glorious and sounds so glorious. Nevertheless, the Lord takes

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delight in our worship. We meet for holy worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of

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4th and Boulevard. I'd love to have you cross our threshold. In thinking about it, we'd love to have

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you, love to see you. We'd also then love to have you join our community Bible study, too. Don't forget

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about that. That's been a delight as well. We're learning of these things. We're discussing these

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things and getting perspectives on these things, too, in a great time of fellowship at our community

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Bible study on the book of Revelation. Revelation, understanding of the apocalypse. It meets at

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Starbucks, 7 p.m. on Thursday evenings. Come and join us for that community Bible study on the book of

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Revelation, 7 p.m. at Starbucks on Thursday evenings. And also, come and join us. New Geneva

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meets for holy worship Sunday, 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard.

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Call us for more information at area code 208-523-0196. That's area code 208-523-0196.