His Perfect Love

Guest (Male): Here's the6 good news ahead of us on His Perfect Love.

Matt VanderVen: The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, he has triumphed. He's a victor. And because he's able to open the scrolls and its seven seals, friends, you know what that what that means? If he is the only one that is worthy to do that, that also means he is the only one that is worthy to save your soul. And if he is promised that if you place your faith and trust in him just as he is worthy to keep his promises and open that seal to bring about God's divine plan, he is also faithful to keep you from eternal damnation.

To keep you from a place called hell.

Guest (Male): Right now, we're traveling through Revelation one verse at a time here on His Perfect Love. Pastor Matt VanderVen is leading the way. And today, we pick up where we left off in chapter five. Here, an angel is declaring who is worthy to break, open, and read the scroll. While the Apostle John is weeping over this unopened scroll, he's hit with some good news. Jesus is worthy to open it. And Pastor Matt believes that conveys something powerful to us about our promise-keeping God and the ability of Jesus.

Matt VanderVen: Immediately, we know that an elder, you know, this elder comes, he counsels John and what's he do? He commands him. He says very clearly, it was a command, weep not. Weep not. It means literally stop crying, stop weeping. Have you ever been convulsing like that and uh you know very um uncontrollably crying because something is so broken you emotionally and you literally and somebody to come up and go stop. And you're like it almost seems unnatural. But John is is able to do that. He says because one had been found to open the scroll and to loose its seals.

See see that made all the sense to John. Once he knew everything was going to be okay, isn't that just like us? We get to see the humanity of John even in heaven. I just want us to see that there is a level of humanity that still exists. I think you know we understand we're going to be translated. We know that we're going to have a new body and a glorified body, but there's still this aspect of humanity that still is a conscious that's still there in some capacity because here he is. He's raptured up.

He's there. And he's broken. He's you know we know there'll be no more crying and no more because of sin, wickedness, death, destruction, all these things. They'll be gone. Jesus is going to wipe every tear from our eyes. But there's still this level of consciousness that John has. But the minute he's told everything's going to be okay, John has been given hope. And because of that hope, there's no need for weeping anymore. And that's exactly what Jesus did for you and I. He gave us hope that there would be this comfort to our hearts in the difficult times we live.

Now, the elder's words turned uh John from what? From this crying uncontrollable to to joy, right? To joy. And he goes on to say specifically here, but one of the elders said to me, do not weep. Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has prevailed to open the scrolls, to loose its seven seals. And I looked and behold in the midst of the throne of the four living creatures in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though he had been slain, having seven horns, seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

So, in verse five here, John is is told two titles that Jesus is given. He's given the title the lion of the tribe of Judah. He's also given the title of the root of David if you're taking notes. The lion. Why is that significant at this moment that it's declared upon Jesus that title as he's worthy and the only one worthy to open the scrolls? I think this is significant. The lion of the tribe of Judah is pictured again is a picture for us found in Genesis and in the book of Revelation. Genesis is the book of beginnings.

It's the book of creation. Bara, created ex nihilo, out of nothing, right? Revelation is God 's plan brought into fruition, right? Eradication of sin, wickedness, and death. Putting all things right again. It's it's fitting it's fitting that it would speak to this lion here this way. It it's also referring to him in the future tribe as lion, you know a lion and a cub and things like that. Genesis 49:9. And Revelation, the picture is seen again when the lion of the tribe of Judah is declared to have triumphed or have victory and worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.

Jesus is the one who is worthy and the only one that's worthy to open scroll. Therefore, Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. In Genesis, you might remember Jacob. He blesses his children. He promises Judah that his brothers will what? Praise him. And they will even bow down before him. Can you imagine all the brothers what? Jacob also tells Judah, Judah is lion's is the lion's whelp. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down. He lies down as lion. And as a lion, who shall rouse him? That's Genesis 49:9.

Jacob says that in the future the scepter and the ruler staff will not depart from Judah. Judah Genesis chapter 49:10. The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh comes. And to him shall be obedience of the people. This is all prophetic. Him being given that title as he's opening the seals is bringing full circle the prophecy that was given 3,000 plus years ago. And that's if the Lord should come, you know anytime in our generation, if it should go on further, it was given even further back obviously here.

But he's speaking to us and he's showing this that God is a promise keeper, right? And certainly we know David, the promise he gave David, right? The Davidic covenant, one that would have a scepter and rule on the throne. Again, God is a promise keeper. Over and over again, he uses the word of God to show us how he goes back even to Genesis and the promises he made throughout all 66 books. He keeps every one of them. There's well over 1,300 some say 12 I I believe close to 1,300 different prophecies. 600 of them alone, 500 if I'm being conservative, just about Messiah Jesus that have already been fulfilled.

Why is he showing us that? You think he is patting himself on the back or do you think he's trying to encourage you and I that everything he said he is going to do he is going to do and has done and will do so that you and I can have very uh very ease placing our faith and trust. Some people how do I do that? How do I place my faith and trust in the invisible God? You believe what Jesus Christ says. You believe he is the son of God, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

You believe he's faithful and strong enough to do that. You believe that it's not a man, a husband, a wife, a woman, no one that your savior. It's not a political uh uh uh someone who running for office or somebody elected that's going to come in and save your soul. It's not it not going to be a political movement that brings peace. The earth and the people of the earth are looking in all the wrong places. It's a false peace treaty. And God will use anyone and anything to make that happen because it's part of his plan so that those that are putting their faith in men or women or humanity instead of Jesus Christ God.

Not that we shouldn't trust our brothers and sisters. That's not what he's saying. But we notice that we're not we're not to trust them for our salvation. That's what we're talking about. And we're not to trust them for our sanctification either. It's our relationship with Jesus. It's not our parents. It's not our grandparents. It's ours. And it's something very unique because it's all built on the koinonia, the fellowship, the relationship. And so this is beautiful that he's going back to these promises to reassure and to comfort you and I today as we read these things.

And it's all based on the blessing. Again, the lion because that was the Genesis 49 it was all the blessing that Dad was giving to his son Jacob. It was it was the blessing that was being for Jesus is our blessing. And it was pictured for us there and even now in the Revelation we see it here, right? The kingly tribe, King David and tribe of Judah. So, what does a lion symbolize? If you think of a lion right now, you'd think wow power, maybe fierceness, majesty, something beautiful about that kind of a cat. Lion, you know they're the king of the beasts.

The lion of the tribe of Judah is the king. Is it fair to say it this way? You can correct me this morning. The king of everything. Jesus Christ, the king of everything. I I I couldn't find a better word than everything, all inclusive. In the Old Testament, God's sometimes described and you know Jesus or himself God the Father describes himself as a lion. Remember we we looked at that when we were going through the faces. Uh Isaiah chapter 31 verse four. As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey, even though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts.

God is not frightened. So, the Lord Almighty will come down to battle on Mount Zion and on its heights. God is not ever fearful of his creation. The Lord is not afraid of his enemies. He protects his people and he doesn't allow them to be conquered. In Hosea, God is is angry at Israel because they became proud and forgot him. You may remember that if you've read Hosea chapter 13 verses seven through nine, and God says, and I think this is significant, I will be like a lion to them. Like a lion, I will devour them.

You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against me, against your helper. You see it is better to experience the help and protection of the lion than to deny his kingship and face the lion's fierceness. I just think it's simple if we just say it that way. That's what the wrath of the lamb is. Could be also called the wrath of the lion. Revelation chapter five here where we're at. Jesus is this long-awaited lion of the tribe of Judah. Jesus weeps because or John weeps because no one's found worthy of the scroll. And here appears on the scene Jesus.

And I just love that. And then one of the elders says to John as we already read, don't weep. See the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David. He has triumphed and he's able to open the scroll of seals. Now, interesting, both of the genealogies in Matthew and Luke record Jesus as descendant of the tribe of Judah as well. That's significant. Again, important. When Jesus is revealed as the promised lion of the tribe of Judah, it also reveals his deity. He's the true king and the one to whom belongs the long-awaited obedience of the nations.

All knees are going to bow. All tongues are going to confess Jesus is Lord. Yet, it's not his fierceness or force of his power that makes him worthy. Did everybody see that? This lion is a gentleman. The lion has triumphed because of why? Because this lion is really a lamb. Revelation 5:6-10. John chapter one verse through 29. Jesus Christ is worthy because he lived a perfect, sinless life. Shedding his blood, he defeated sin and death. His death and the resurrection have resulted in protection for his people and an internal kingdom. And I just love this that will honor and praise him as it should always have been.

A ruling kingdom will be Jesus, the lion and the king, the tribe of Judah. Now, next after the lion here, okay, if you're looking, he also declares something else. He's not only the lion, right? What else is he? The root of David. Now, the root of David is a reference to his connection with David, okay, who is also from the tribe of Judah and he was a king, okay? When King David reigned, the Lord established a covenant with him promising David's throne, the established forever. Some of you remember may remember that from 2 Samuel chapter 7 verse 16, right?

That we know it as the Davidic covenant, okay? Now, some of you may be thinking here is the Davidic covenant a Susan vassal royal grant covenant. Remember there's only two kinds of covenant in all of your scripture. A Susan vassal means what kind of covenant? It means well if you do this, then I do that. A royal grant covenant is one where God establishes and then God does the ratifying of the covenant, okay? So, when you think about the Abrahamic covenant, is that a Susan vassal or royal grant? A royal grant covenant. God promised he went he basically used the first uh anesthesia if I can say it that way.

he puts Abraham out. He then cuts the birds between the two, walks through the middle of that, which is what they did in the times of ancient to ratify covenants. And even then there was blood that was shed. And they he God himself ratifies that while Abraham's taken a snooze. Right? He wakes up to see wait a minute because he thought he was the one that was supposed to do that. And God says, oh no. No no no. I'm ratifying this covenant. The Davidic covenant is one of those covenants that actually is and I know it's confusing, is both.

Because there's a Susan vassal aspect to when he's talking about the humanity of David and the lion of David in human terms, his son Solomon and then his sons that would come after that before Rehoboam. And then you remember the kingdom gets what? Divided at that point because of pride. But he always said, hey if if if there's a if there's a humility, if there's a following of my name, then there will always be a king that will come from your line, David. That was Susan vassal. But there was a royal grant side of it because it was prophetic where God was saying from the tribe of Judah, you can look for one that is going to be Messiah Jesus that will come.

And all of the rabbis and the scribes and all of the religious leaders since that time since 2 Samuel was authored by the Holy Spirit and given to man have been looking. It was one of the tests. They knew that when Messiah would come, what tribe would he come from? They said he has to be from the birth. Do you know that's why they kept such perfect records? Even in Israel, if you go over to Israel that you can go in and see they've got records from thousands of even after the dispersion they have now rebuilding that.

And there's a big movement for aliyah, for all of the blood-born Jews, men and women to move back, to go and reestablish what God has has has anointed as part of that being his land, God's land given to Israel. And there's people that are are moving back. There's ministries dedicated to getting Jews in other countries that are facing persecution and oppression and affliction to get them uh in martyrdom, to get them to you know move them back so they can get out of harm's way. That is very much going on today right now. And there's some really good really good ministries out there that I I I wouldn't I'd have no problem supporting that are really doing that to get God's chosen people out of harm's way that way, okay?

But why is he bringing them all back there? Because he's going to redeem them. He's going to redeem them. And it's all going to happen. Everything that we're going to see from this point on, it's all going to be happening. Yes, worldwide, but but the center point is in Jerusalem. All eyes are going to be on Jerusalem. Okay? Because it's it's how the rest of the prophecy is going to unfold. But going back to to the root of David, the root is a source. It's the founding support of something. Jesus is the source, the origin of David and the tribe of Judah.

Jesus is introduced in the Gospel of Matthew as Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham, right? Matthew chapter one verse one. He's fulfilling the Jewish expectation the Messiah would come from the lineage of David. So, that's also being communicated, which as you and I both know, Jesus was of the tribe of Judah. It was prophecy. Think about 2 Samuel and David had received that. You know that's at least 1,200 anywhere from 1,200 to 1,000 BC. Jesus comes on the earth, right? Somewhere born between two and four AD. Okay? You and now here we are 2 This is almost 3,200 years later.

We're still reading about this and being able to come back and go yes. Just as God said 1,200 Can anybody here predict that that that your you knew your family was going to come from this line or this person was going to come from this ancestry? Or oh by the way he's going to be born in Bethlehem. Oh by the way he's going to ride in on a uh colt, a you know a donkey. Like there's just so many that you literally this this is not this can't even possibly be a fable or story. This is a live account of God's redemptive plan.

And again, we've discussed in past studies, but Jesus's Messiah was both the root of David and the son of David because Isaiah 11 uh prophesied that. And the answer is found in again, if you're wondering how can it be both? Because Jesus had a dual nature. Didn't he? As per Jesus's human nature, Jesus was the son of David and also the branch of David's family tree. And if you ever looked back at Jesus's genealogy, anybody ever studied that? I have a ever come into my office, I have a whole um poster. I don't know what else to call it, a picture.

And it goes back through every aspect of Jesus's genealogy. You can follow the whole thing and walk all the way to I love that study because there's all kinds of people that you and I would say, you mean that person's? You mean you you got harlots, prostitutes? Yet you know you got all kinds of who would ever admit to having that Jesus Christ? You know Rahab, right? You start looking through these things. Boaz, right? Ruth, right? Where was she from again? Remind me. A Gentile. God can work through anyone and anything when there's a willing heart.

And that's what he's showing us here. It also touches the divine nature because Jesus being the root of David, he was the originator of David and the source of all David's blessings. Remember a couple weeks or just last week actually I went through and reread that portion where we looked at how he was questioned by religious leaders. How can it be both? If he's the son of David, then how is it that David worshipped him or how would he be the Lord of put put under his footstool? Remember that? Because the root he's the root and offspring of David.

Jesus also eludes to his connection as I mentioned in Matthew 22. That's what I was just quoting here again. You see John is I believe weeping over an unopened scroll and its broken seven seals. He receives good news. And this is where I want to just close here this morning. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, he has triumphed. He's a victor. And because he's able to open the scrolls and its seven seals, friends, you know what that what that means? If he is the only one that is worthy to do that, that also means he is the only one that is worthy to save your soul.

And if he is promised that if you place your faith and trust in him just as he is worthy to keep his promises and open that seal to bring about God 's divine plan, he is also faithful to keep you from eternal damnation. To keep you from a place called hell because the hell was never created for humanity, but only for the fallen angels. So, if you believe that here this morning, you're born again. You've received Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior. No one and no one and nothing can take that from you. He holds you in his hand, he says.

He actually holds all the seas, it says in the in the Psalms. He talks about God's hands. Is there anyone here that thinks that they could break open God's hand? I certainly know I can't. And if Satan or any other created being was ever going to give it a shot, it would have been uh Mr. Proud, right? It would have been the liar, the father of all lies. And he was not able. He did everything in his power to try to defeat Messiah Jesus and he failed miserably. He tries to destroy you and I by being a great accuser and lying to all of us by telling us we're not good enough, we're not worthy.

You know what do we think? We say this. We're hypocrites. We blow it all the time. And he he literally lies. And I love that picture that I have in my mind's eye of John in heaven where Jesus the lamb of God is right there. Again, pictured. We'll talk about this more next week where he's pierced. I have no doubt he's pierced. They are able to recognize him as the sacrificed lamb, the atoned lamb that provided atonement for you and I. I have no doubt that the reason he's appearing that way because if there was anyone who forgot that it was Jesus Christ's blood that washed them and it wasn't their good deeds that got them there.

It was a merciful, loving savior that was gracious, longsuffering, and good to all. That's why we come together and we we celebrate Jesus. That's why we praise him and worship him because he really is the only one that's worthy. And if he's worthy to take the scrolls, he's worthy to save you and I. And if he saves us, he can keep us. And if he keeps us, he can redeem us. And if he redeems us, we're going to live with him in the family of God forever and ever. And that is God's plan for all of humanity.

And you and I get to be a part of it, not only being saved, but to be his hands and feet as a team is heading down North Carolina this morning. As you and I walk out of this sanctuary, what we do with our finances, what we do with our time, what we do with our hearts, we're always on call. We're always ready. And we're always being led as vessels of the living God. It's good to be alive and it's good to be saved in a Christian. Amen?

Guest (Male): This is His Perfect Love.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Pastor Matt VanderVen on His Perfect Love. You can hear the study from Revelation again when you visit His Perfect Love .org. That's His Perfect Love .org. We've expanded our podcast, too. Look for us on oneplace.com and most of the major podcast platforms. The Calvary Chapel Harrisburg mobile app is another great way to listen to Pastor Matt's messages shortly after they're delivered. We can help you get started when you visit His Perfect Love .org. We're thankful for the listeners that come alongside of us with their prayers and financial support. If you're interested in supporting this radio ministry, there's a place to do that at His Perfect Love .org.

Together, we can reach people with the love and truth of God in these last days. Pastor Matt loves to hear from his listeners. Even just a quick hello telling him where you hear the program and how you're blessed by it means a lot. Email us there at the website His Perfect Love .org. And whether you live in or around Mechanicsburg, PA or we'll be visiting the area soon, we'd love to have you join us for a service at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore. Sunday morning services begin at 8:30 and 10:30. We have a midweek service, too, Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.

You'll find us at 28 North Locust Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. Go to ccharrisburg.org for more information. Well, that'll do it for today, but come back next time when Pastor Matt will again study the book of Revelation with us here on His Perfect Love.

Guest (Male): This is His Perfect Love.

Guest (Male): His Perfect Love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.