Behold the Lamb of God
For those of you who have asked for a synopsis of Joe Jones' presentation in Dallas on Monday night, here is the best summary of his remarks (and also one of my favorite sermons of all time). Here is Behold, the Lamb of God which was originally preached at Yale in the Fall of 2005.
"In those heavenly realms in which ultimate matters are decided and justice meted out, there is a throne and through an open door John can see the throne. There is One seated on the throne, surrounded by a rainbow and by wise elders and dancing spirits, and lightning and thunder echo throughout the chamber of the throne. Many are the creatures gathered around the throne, and day and night without ceasing they sing about the One sitting on the throne:
Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.
The Creator of all things is the One on the throne!
But there is a scroll in the right hand of the Creator, and an angel asks:
“Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth has been able to open the scroll and read what the future holds.
The scroll of the future has been sealed up and unreadable. And John the prophetic seer begins to weep bitterly. Are we not lost in the midst of the travail of tears of this life of persecution and death if we cannot see into the future and know that upon which we can hope? The future is so dark and death so near at hand. Who can assure us about the future?
Then a wise elder says to John: “Do not weep. See the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Ah, the Lion of Judah, the strongest among the creatures, who devours all challengers? Surely we can trust in his knowledge and strength.
And just as we are ready to heed the Lion and clutch his mighty mane and praise his ferocious jaws and teeth, John sees a extraordinarily strange sight: “A Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered.” A slaughtered Lamb sits on the throne of the Almighty..."
"In those heavenly realms in which ultimate matters are decided and justice meted out, there is a throne and through an open door John can see the throne. There is One seated on the throne, surrounded by a rainbow and by wise elders and dancing spirits, and lightning and thunder echo throughout the chamber of the throne. Many are the creatures gathered around the throne, and day and night without ceasing they sing about the One sitting on the throne:
Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.
The Creator of all things is the One on the throne!
But there is a scroll in the right hand of the Creator, and an angel asks:
“Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth has been able to open the scroll and read what the future holds.
The scroll of the future has been sealed up and unreadable. And John the prophetic seer begins to weep bitterly. Are we not lost in the midst of the travail of tears of this life of persecution and death if we cannot see into the future and know that upon which we can hope? The future is so dark and death so near at hand. Who can assure us about the future?
Then a wise elder says to John: “Do not weep. See the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Ah, the Lion of Judah, the strongest among the creatures, who devours all challengers? Surely we can trust in his knowledge and strength.
And just as we are ready to heed the Lion and clutch his mighty mane and praise his ferocious jaws and teeth, John sees a extraordinarily strange sight: “A Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered.” A slaughtered Lamb sits on the throne of the Almighty..."
posted by MM at 5:18 PM
<< Home