Chapter 5 Verse 1

• Now significant here is that this scroll has writing on both sides.
• In John’s day, scrolls were made of 8x10 inch sheets of papyrus.  But you see the interesting part is that papyrus would yield a sheet of writing paper that had a coarse side and a smooth side.  So typically scribes would write on the smooth side only…except in one type of document…one specific type within a specific type actually…a defaulted title deed to a piece of property!
• Crazy!  This is nuts!  When a contract would be made between two parties for a piece of property…a possession…the contract would be drawn up…on one side of a papyrus sheet.  But then, if the owner was unable to meet his/her financial obligations, he/she would have to relinquish their title…
• This consisted of writing on the backside of the papyrus contract the default of the owner along with their debt and then the contract would be sealed with seven seals which represented a seven year period!  This is crazy!  So significant…why?  How?
• Because if the owner was able to pay the debt within the seven year period then the seals would be broken and the title deed would be returned!
• ALL of this explains exactly…precisely…what is in the hand of the One who sits upon the throne!  It is none other than the title deed to planet earth!
• What?  How?  Remember what was given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by God?  Dominion man!  All of it…over all of the earth and everything in it…Genesis 1:28…but what did they do?  The forfeited it!
• They forfeited the right to ownership when they bowed down to the serpent!  The Bible says that Adam was not deceived!  Eyes wide open, gonna cost him everything…yet he sinned.  And according to Romans 5:14, all men lost the right to reclaim the title deed…the dominion…through Adam’s sin because he is the father of us all and therefore his offense, his sin is upon us all!
• This explains why Paul called Satan the god of this world in 2 Corinthians 4:4 and why Jesus referred to Satan as the prince of this world in John 12:31.
• I mean remember when Satan took Jesus up onto the pinnacle of the temple and he offered Jesus the entire world and all of the kingdoms, people, places, and glory?  How could he have done that lest they were his in the first place right?  You see the title deed to plant earth…stripped from all mankind by sin!
• And he’s still doing that today!  The title deed to families.  The title deed to your life.  The title deed to your joy…the title deed to your decency man…he’s still ripping people off…don’t let him do it!  Fight as Jesus fought!  With the Word of God!  The only Sword that is able to cut and capture and conquer in the realm of reality…the spiritual realm!

Chapter 5 Verse 2

• In other words, “who is able to pay the debt?”  Notice this strong angel doesn’t ask, “who is willing?”  Ahmadinejad is willing.  Hitler was willing.  Bin Laden was willing.  Stalin was willing.  Mohammad was willing…many are willing. 
• There have been scores of folks who have said, “I want the power.  Give me the control.  I will rule the world.”  But the angel doesn’t ask who has the emotional impulsive desire…the angel asks “who is worthy?”  Or “who is able?”
• You might want to fix your marriage.  You might want to fix your kids…fix your parents…fix your job…fix your attitude even…but are you able…?  In truth…no you’re not.  Only the Lord can fix that up.  Whatever “that” is…

Chapter 5 Verse 3

• Notice not even in heaven man…no angels can help you…no patron saints…no false gods…no demons…really even no man can help…as John says here that no one…no one in heaven, on earth or under the earth was able to take it…all eyes hit the floor man…that’s what John is saying here about no one even being able to give a hint of worthiness…as they don’t even look upon the strong angel.
• And as this happens…we see something that’s probably never before occurred in heaven…tears…

Chapter 5 Verse 4

• The word here for “wept much” is “kilo” in the Greek which literally means to convulse with grief.  John is overcome as he realizes the earth will remain in Satan’s grip…under his ownership and control. 
• But notice he is comforted by an elder…(are you a comforter?)

Chapter 5 Verse 5

• Who is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah?  Yes, you go it, Jesus…but how do we know that?  Because you’ve been taught that?  Come on man you gotta know this for yourself!  Be taught yes, receive yes…but then go and learn this too for yourself…
• Genesis Chapter 49.  Jacob calls his sons and he blesses them and when he gets to Judah he says something quite peculiar…very different than what he says to all of the others…he tells him, “Judah, you are whom your brothers will praise.  You are a lion’s whelp, your line is as a lion and the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until the Messiah comes.”
• Now in the year 12 AD…and we’ve gone over this before…the Romans had issued a decree which stripped the Jews of their right to capital punishment.  The rabbi’s response was to proclaim that “God had failed” because they looked at this, capital punishment that is, as the cornerstone of them being an autocratic people.   So when they were denied this fundamental right, they were rendered powerless as a nation…but their problem really was that the Messiah was no where to be found…well they should have looked in the temple!
• As the scripture says that suddenly the Lord will appear in His own house (Malachi 3:1)…there in Jerusalem, the 12 year old Jesus was confounding the scribes and the thinkers as he taught! 
• The Lion of the tribe of Judah you see was there…right there in their midst just as Jacob had prophesied as he blessed Judah all the way back in Genesis 49…but instead of saying “God must be here” they assumed God a failure…all too often we too fall into that same fallacy!
• And the angel also says here the Root of David…now you might say well Jesus was a descendant of David and you would be correct but the angel calls Jesus here…the root.  You see Jesus preceded David by all eternity and therefore He is of the lineage of the house of David but He is also the Root of David…
• And so just as in Chapter 1, John turns to look again…maybe expecting a roaring strong beastly lion…but look at what he sees…

Chapter 5 Verse 6

• Notice, and this is mystical…something beyond the physical…the Lamb is where?  In the midst of the throne, in the midst of the four beasts and in the midst of the elders…
• Now literally, that word midst in the Greek is mesos which actually means middle…so how is it that the Lamb is in the middle of all of these places, persons and things at once?  Beyond our understanding…yet John sees it.
• And significant, the lamb…John just heard the elder say…behold the lion has overcome and he looks and lo…a lamb…and in the Greek that word translated here as “lamb” is in the diminutive form of the root word which means more accurately this is “little lamb” or “precious lamb” gentle, lowly…and what’s more, John notices that it is slain…
• How telling this is man!  How profoundly true this point yet how frequently, almost constantly denied by folks…the power in the middle of the throne of God…the force amongst the living creatures of heaven…the strength within the elders of the Most High…described as a lion…fierce and commanding; supreme to all others, the king of authority, control and sheer muscle…is presented…is absolutely hidden in the lamb slain.
• To lay down your life for others, to offer your life a living sacrifice unto God…THAT is eternal strength.  To take the abuse, accept the wrong, embrace the crown of thorns for the sake of love…to bless no matter, no matter, NO MATTER your portion…takes brute strength that is available to you ONLY, I gotsta repeat, ONLY when the Lamb slain is the VERY MIDDLE of YOUR throne!  The VERY MIDDLE of your life story (4 creature representing the gospels or Jesus’ story), the VERY MIDDLE of YOUR life beliefs (24 elders representing the entire church body).
• You cannot serve both you and God, you cannot serve two masters or you will end up failing both.  But, love never fails.  Never.  What does love look like Matt?  The pages on your lap.  Refuse all others who would desire to rule your world.  None are worthy!
• None have perfect power and perfect insight…complete and perfect eternal authority and wisdom…except Jesus man!  John says here that He had seven horns…horns always signify power and authority in the Bible and here Jesus has seven…the number of perfection and completion…
• So Jesus alone has perfect and complete power and authority.  And John says here that He had seven eyes which speak of perfect and complete insight…flawless and unfailing wisdom!!  Which are the seven spirits of God which we have looked at now three times in the Book of Revelation (they come from Isaiah Chapter 11).
• He alone can help.  Not Him and them!  That won’t help.  Medicine mixed with poison only cures life (kills)!  If you really want to be made well…Jesus alone is Savior…

Chapter 5 Verse 7

• The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the Lamb slain is able to pay the price for the bankruptcy of mankind.  And so He takes the title deed, along with all of the debts and defaults…