His Perfect Love

Guest (Male): Jesus is about to judge the wickedness of the world. All of heaven breaks out in worship. Hear all about it next on His Perfect, Love. As we see evil on the rise, we may wonder at times why God doesn't put a stop to it and judge this world. Well, he will one day, and when he does, it will be at the perfect time. Right now, he is long suffering and not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance and faith. Today on His Perfect Love we'll take you to Revelation chapter 5 where Jesus is about to judge a Christ rejecting world and all of heaven worships as he does.

Here's Pastor Matt Vanderven with all the details.

Matt VanderVen: Now, the Jews at that time would have again been so familiar with these Old Testament passages. I mean, even Jeremiah and Isaiah, again, they also foretold. It wasn't just Isaiah. I'm just going to read to you in Jeremiah just for time's sake here this morning. Jeremiah chapter 11 verse 19. But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter, and I did not know that they devised schemes against me saying, let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut them off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.

What were they doing? Scheming. Has anything changed under the sun? No, it is not. What a beautiful picture, the sacrifice that would provide redemption for Israel. And of course, the person, I I hope every one of us here this morning, everybody knows this lamb is Jesus Christ. And if you've never met Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you're here this morning, I'd like to introduce you to him. He's your Savior. He's the one that went to Calvary so that as you are here today, could place your faith and trust in him that he is faithful and willing if you would lay down your life, give your life to him that he will take and he will cover and wash you in his blood.

He will remove your sin, past, present, and future. It doesn't matter what you've done. He is faithful and and able. And he will do that, and he will then place you into the palm of his hand. It doesn't mean there won't be heartaches or heartache and things happen. Sure they will in this life. But no one and nothing can ever remove you from God's hand. Whether you're a little boy and you made that commitment of faith, and if you're here tonight and you're here this morning and you make that commitment of faith to Jesus Christ, or whether you are right on your deathbed and it's your last word spoken.

Jesus Christ is faithful beginning and in everything in between. But don't wait. Don't wait. You can have that right now. I can't help but giving an invitation to the gospel here when we're reading such powerful passages and scripture. Now, let's continue in our our our account here. John he says and I behold in the throne and four living creatures and he says in the midst of it stood the lamb and he then he tells us something about the sign. He says it had seven horns. We know that's perfect or the fullness. And what's a horn?

We're going to talk about that. Seven eyes which are the spirits of God, you know, spirit of God. So what what is he trying to communicate to us here? I mean, the horns speak of power of omnipotence. And the number seven is again the perfection and completion. It's is what is he saying? This lamb is all powerful. And isn't that sort of a a head trip because you have an all powerful lamb that willing went to a cross and was sacrificed by non powerful beings, humans. What was he teaching us? Surrender is the greatest gift.

Surrender. He surrendered. You know what he took Jesus Christ's life from him? He willingly gave up the ghost. He willingly did that. Powerful. Jesus is a gentleman. He doesn't force anybody to do anything. You know, I know in the church lately I've been talking about it with our leaders and elders and different things about spiritual abuse and different things that are going on. We really start studying this in great detail. There is no room for coercion and forcing of anything. It's a hard issue when when someone feels like they have to do that. It's the same thing with giving.

If somebody comes in here and they and they're not a hilarious giver, the best thing you can do is, and I know this is going to sound weird from a pastor, take your check, keep it with you. Because if it if it's not a worship offering to God, pleasing to him, and you want to make that worship, then it's being done all with the wrong heart. Everything God does, volunteering, being part, it's all supposed to be something we desire to do. And if we don't do those things, where's the problem? Is it with the word of God or is it with the heart?

We know the answer to that equation. So we got to be careful. We got to be careful. We got to make sure we're examining our own hearts. We we we don't want to be on a sin hump, but we want to make sure we're examining our hearts because we can't fool God. We can fool people, but we cannot fool Jesus Christ. And I want to be careful. I'm not saying that spiritual abuse doesn't happen. It does. But once again, what's hitting the mainstream is extremes. Either somebody doesn't believe that spiritual abuse is possible. Friends, I'm here to tell you that's wrong.

That's wrong. There is spiritual abuse that happens within churches. Absolutely. So to not understand that, that's wrong. Everyone here needs to understand that. But to say that everything is spiritual abuse is also wrong. Another message another time. But we need to talk about these things. We need to study these things just like when the social gospel came out. Do you remember that? The social justice gospel that was being talked about. This is the new thing. You guys are going to hear more about it. We're we're going to we're going to study it. We're you're going to learn more about this.

I believe it's the pastor's responsibility, the church's responsibility, bring these things up that are becoming new hot button topics to make sure we study them extensively to understand how the enemy can hijack certain things and create all kinds of destruction. Just like we did with the social gospel. We we we knew we saw right through the enemy's tricks with that whole thing. God's a God of unity, not a God of division and divisiveness. So as we continue here, that power and Jesus is all powerful. He's all seeing. He's perfect. He's complete. He's not limited by any space or time.

That's the picture that we are getting in heaven. And so again, what are the three descriptions that we have been given of Jesus? Very very important here. He is the line of the tribe of Judah. Second, he is the root of David. Third, he is qualified to open the scroll because he's a lamb. And again, we can look closer at that later, but the lamb of Christ is pictured in three ways here. First, he 's in the midst of the throne verse six. He stepped down from his throne at the father's right hand and moved in front of God the father verse seven to receive that scroll.

And the lamb looks again, as it says in verse six, as though he's been slain, and yet he's still standing. He's not defeated. He's not conquered, is he? Christ is often portrayed as a slain lamb in scripture. If you'd like some passages just to footnote these, John chapter 1 verse 29, Acts chapter 8 verse 32, uh 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 18, and and certainly Revelation verse 13 uh chapter 13 verse 8. And here we are looking in heaven, and you know what we're learning? Just like us when we get hurt, he still possesses the scars of his death and crucifixion on the cross.

So much so that John is able to look upon him and said, here is the lamb that was slain. And again, the seven horns, the seven eyes, the seven spirits of God set forth to all the earth is stated this is all a picture of Christ in his fullness. What is it presenting to us beautiful here? His omnipotence, his ability to be everywhere and always. That's omnipresence. And his omniscience, all knowing. Because the seven eyes and seven spirits speaking to his ability to see everything, to know everything, to be everywhere in one verse. Did you catch that?

The seven horns all powerful, seven eyes sees everything, can be everywhere, and the seven spirits spirits go out throughout all the earth, right? He's not saying seven unique spirits. We've studied this already. That's the that's the sevenfold ministry. Remember we read about that? The spirits of God talking about one spirit, but seven attributes of that one spirit. And so again, it's pointing to the full full ministry of the Holy Spirit in that too. And Jesus Christ has possessing all of these things. 28 times in the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ is referred to as a lamb.

Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus is both pictured And this blew me away when I thought about this. He's pictured as a lion and a lamb. Don't those seem as though they're like extremes? The lion and the lamb, the picture of the lion and the lamb seem incompatible, but in reality, they complement each other perfectly, portraying Christ's redemptive work on behalf of mankind. That's the lamb. And his victorious resurrection and rule, that's the lion. Back in verse 5, the elder announced that no one or that one is qualified. He's prevailed to open the scroll and loose at seas.

This word prevail, just in case circle it in your Bible, that word back in verse 5, that word in the Greek is the same word we in the English use, not as so much prevail, but as overcomer. That is that word to overcome that is more closely related to our English word than prevail is. He's a conqueror. He's victorious. That's what that's trying to tell us in the scripture right there, that he is a conqueror. Christ secured the right to open the scroll based on his Messianic office. He's qualified. He's holy. His redemptive death and work on the cross.

And next we read that he stepped forward. He says he stepped forward. He willingly did this. There was an action. He certainly was invited as we already had read in John 5:22, but then he took that responsibility and said, yes, I will step off the throne and I will step forward and I will do the things that are the will of my father, and that is to bring judgment to a Christ rejecting world. And yet God tells us at the same time that he desires that none would perish. And then it doesn't make him happy when there's the death of any of his creation.

But he steps forward. And then what do we read here? I mean, this is so important because him stepping forward saying that he agrees. He he is submitted even to the father, right? It's also confirming he's the kinsman redeemer and that he paid the redemptive price to regain the title deed of the earth, man's lost inheritance. Jesus Christ redeemed it for humanity, for himself. And in the future he's going to take possession of his inheritance, planet earth. And he will exercise a ocracy again, which we know is a sovereign rule. And there's a reason that we're going to read in Revelation that many have a problem with it just like today.

There's many times when people today hear the word of God, there's conviction, and they struggle and they wrestle and they get upset and well, there's it says in Revelation that many of the nations are going to want to, you know, come against him even after they know he's God. So this isn't about misunderstanding. It's not, oh, I didn't know he was Jesus or or I didn't know he was a lamb of God that took away. No, it's just like it is. That it'll happen in the future too. They want people are going to tell Jesus uh what songs and hymns to sing in the church.

They're going to tell them what color chairs he should have in the temple. They're going to tell them all the kind of things that we see humans do today. It's not going to be any different except he's Jesus. And he's going to turn around and say, um no. No, I 'm sorry. I'm sorry. That's not how this works. This is not a democracy or even a republic. This is a ocracy and I'm bringing holiness and sovereignty to the table here, and you're invited. Would you like to come in, please? An invitation, but not a compromise.

We we need to understand the difference here. Look at verse 8 with me in scripture. Now, when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. So when Christ took the scroll, the four living creatures, there they are again, and again the 24 elders, what do they begin to do? Exactly what they were created to do, to worship. We're all created to worship. And this is evidence that Christ is God because all heaven wouldn't start worshiping if this was some type of overtaking or something else was going on here or if this was some type of uh what do you call that when somebody tries to take over uh like a coup or uh usurp the authority?

This is nothing like that. No, this is worship for the holy God. Jesus is God. And then the elders possessed these harps and golden bowls full of incense, which we know we read already on the prayers of the saints. And then the harps in the Old Testament, oh my, used in several places, Psalm 33, Psalm 98, Psalm 147. Even in heaven, Revelation 14 and 15 we're going to read. They're they're used to bring praise and adoration to God. And in the Old Testament, the tabernacle and temple, the altar of incense, they stood next. Do you remember we read about this in the Old Testament?

They stood next to the veil in the center of the holy place, separating from the holy of holies where God manifested His presence. In other words, these incense was right outside within the presence, near the presence of God. And here are prayers are in bowls right in front of the throne of God, still in the presence of God. He hears us, who loves us. And the high priest back in the Old Testament, they burned these incense at the altar and it ascended to God. Again, symbolic of the prayers of God's people, Psalm 141 verse 2.

And the same is true uh in in Revelation 8 we're going to read verses 3 and 4. Then he says, and they sang a new song, right? You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain and you have redeemed us to God by your blood and out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth. Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders, and the numbers of them was 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb.

Please don't embarrass me. Memorize this, right? Worthy is the lamb. When you're up there, I want you to be I want to sing it along with Jesus, right? Sing along with heaven. Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, strength and honor, glory and blessing. I love that. Don't you love that? He takes the scroll, open its seals, pronounces judgment on an unbelieving world. The heaven or the beings in heaven, everybody just starts to break out in worship. It is awesome because what he's doing. And then they sing a new song in verse 9 through 12.

And let's not forget that during the worship of Jesus as the lamb, he's beginning to do what? Don't forget what's about to happen. We're going to read it next week or the week thereafter. He's going to take his finger as it were, spiritually speaking, and he's going to crack the what first seal, which brings the judgments. So all of heaven is worshiping knowing that judgment is about to be poured out. Why? Because God's plan for judging wickedness is now reached that time of where it's proper. Jesus is very long suffering. If you're wondering why maybe you've been able to lead a life of sin, maybe there's things that are going on and you think, boy, I'm getting away with this, or maybe you're turning on the radio and somehow you just landed on this station right now and you're hearing this and you're thing, you know what?

Why do I need God? I've been fortunate. I've had these things go my way. This that Oh no, please. God is long suffering. Jesus is long suffering. Please don't take his patience and love as an acknowledgment that he's okay with your sin. Please don't misunderstand his mercy and his grace. He's long suffering so that all can come and receive the gift of salvation. But there must come a time like anything else in life where God says enough. And when that time comes and it's coming very very soon, we we really are living in a time where we're seeing it and it's perfectly being set up that way, such polarization in a in a way that I've never seen in my life, even within the church.

Christians fighting Christians. The world fighting the world. And I understand differencing of opinions. We can all have those. We're entitled to have opinions and differing opinions. But to divide and fight as though we're saying Jesus isn't God and he's not human, those are the only things we're to divide over biblically. An unbeliever, you know, okay, there's certain things scripture tells us that unbeliever be careful, right? A believer that's, okay, be careful. But it's perfectly polarized. And he said that's what would happen in the last days. He said that even the wheat and chaff, he said that he would not bring them to the fire until that last time in which it was complete, and then the chaff would begin to be what?

Burned. But until that time, the wheat and chaff would coexist. And so it's very tricky because we know he also talks about wolves among sheep. It's a very difficult thing to understand because we we almost can't see it with our own eyes. But Jesus knows. Nobody knows who these, you know, people are. But it it ultimately get revealed by the heart and the lack of love, the lack of forgiveness, the lack of truth. Is these are the things that are going to come and happen where people hold on to things and and they become the very boiling point that family members, like you and I know, there are people that haven't talked to family members over something so foolish.

People have to get over their offenses. I have to get over my offenses. The enemy's laughing as Christians are sitting digging in and even unbelievers. Well, I and I'm offended. I'm the victim. Yes, you may be are. But we need to forgive. Even if they don't turn around and ask us forgiveness, we must forgive them to protect our hearts so we don't become what? Bitter. You know, I'm not teaching you anything. All of you don't know. You read the scriptures. We have to be very careful because we can be used. We can be uh our minds, those thoughts can be hijacked.

If we forget that we're in a spiritual battle, we can so easily miss what's really happening in front of us and think it's really about us and miss that he's dividing. He's taking embers out of the fire. My heart's desire is for us to have such a revival where not just unbelievers come to Christ, but even Christians that have hardened hearts will unify once again in the name of Jesus Christ. Don't put pastors on pedestals. Don't put Christians on pedestals. Put Jesus on the pedestal. He's the only one that's worthy. All of heaven is worshiping Jesus and they're all unified in heaven and nobody's up there at that point going, I was a better Christian than you.

You are more holier than me. You are I can't even believe you got in here. Nobody's saying anything like that. Nobody cares. Nobody cares. Nobody's up there going, but I was the victim of so much Christian trouble. Everybody's just like I can't believe I made it in. Amen. I can't believe I made it in. We know why we made it in, because the righteousness of Christ. You see, that's not forget that they're worshiping up there and worship is underway when Jesus is judging all the evil in this Christ rejecting world. And again, please don't mistake it.

All heaven's rejoicing because of this when the seals are open, the scrolls able to be unrolled uh a little more revealing bit by bit the judgments of God that he has stored up during the tribulation period and and the heavenly hosts, they sing this new song, the lamb, they're celebrating the redemptive work. And the word new does not mean new in time or origin when they say a new song, but new in the sense of nature. There's something previously unknown and unprecedented that happened when he took that scroll. In the Greek uh what Christ accomplished in the redemption here was superior in value to the Old Testament Revelation.

That's what this is really speaking about. A new work of redemption calls for a new song, and this new song revealed again five marvelous insights. And I'm going to close with this. I'm going to read verse 13 14 in a minute. Close with this with our time. But the redeemer, friends, please, let's not walk out of here this morning without understanding he's worthy. He's worthy to open the scroll based on his sacrifice. In being slain in verse 9, he opened the way for worldwide redemption. That's the gospel. Everyone can be saved. The ransom price again is not something you and I had to give.

It's his blood that was poured out. He paid the ransom. And And by the way, the worthiness is not based on mankind's performance, but based on Christ's personal blood sacrifice. You want to read more about that? Are you struggling with that from a guilt perspective? Uh there's no condemnation those in Christ Jesus. Read 1 Peter 1:18 and 19. He tells us which made it possible for God's grace and mercy to be manifested to mankind. Otherwise, God would never be able to show grace or mercy to any of us because none of us would be worthy.

And then as a result of mankind's redemption, God has formed the church. And when he formed the church, he makes it a royal kingdom of what? Priests. We're all ministers. Just like you and I are all ministering here today. We're not better. Nobody's better than anybody. I'm not better. We all just have different responsibilities, but we're part of one body. And it's even with the spiritual gifts that are poured out, right? He gives different gifts that even no gift is better than another gift. All gifts are used in communion, in harmony to better or encourage the body of Christ as a whole, the same with the roles we play.

There there are different roles we play. Some are pastors, some are teachers, well, pastor teachers, some are evangelists, some all the different things we read in Ephesians 4, not better or worse, but all needed. There's a maturing that God wants to do in this church. There's a maturing he wants to do in discipleship. He wants to raise up men. He wants to raise up women. He wants us to understand that it's not about any one particular individual that serves in a role, but collectively we as a body of Christ come together and are His hands and feet and have a responsibility to be faithful in our service.

There's a maturing that has to happen. A discipleship that needs to happen and the reading of the word does that.

Guest (Female): 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 will 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 Locus Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. Go to CC Harrisburg .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 (Female): This is His perfect love.

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

Guest (Female): Let the word go out. The perfect love of Christ to shine. Our lives will shout. I am my beloved's and He is mine. Every heart is in His hands. We'll never stop reaching out. This is His perfect love.

Guest (Male): The world dies.

Guest (Female): This is what a real love looks like.

Guest (Male): In truth and praise.

Guest (Female): This is His perfect love.