Sermon Text: Revelation 5:8-14

Below is a sermon manuscript from July 20, 2025. Watch the sermon here.

Introduction

July 18 has come and past. For many it was on their calendars for weeks. It was a day that we looked forward to, but a day when one little guy in the church looked forward to even more than we did. What was this day? Star Wars night at the Spikes game. There was speculation about what would happen and whether an actual spaceship would come and land on the field. The anticipation was great, and maybe – if you are expecting a spaceship – it didn’t quite fulfill. But in the scene we have in Revelation 5 there is no worries about not living up to the hype, in fact any shortcomings are due to us failing to see this scene for what it is.

Jesus is Worthy to be Worshiped

Jesus is worshipped by heavenly beings

The main thrust of this passage is incredibly clear: Jesus is worthy to be worshipped. We will delve into the details of this worship later, but it’s worth noting the importance of this point. It is important to recognize that throughout the book of Revelation, as we have already seen, heavenly beings fall down and give worship to God. (4:10; 7:11; 11:16; 19:4) Here, the same response is given for Jesus.

It’s a response that is off limits for John to give to angels as well.

When John tries on two occasions to honor an angelic messenger in this way (19:10; 22:8–9), the angel rebukes him and insists, “Worship God [alone]!” But Jesus Christ receives such honor here, as well as in 1:17 (John falling before the exalted Christ) and 5:14 (worship to God and the Lamb).^[1]

Jesus is worthy to be worshipped as God

Jesus rebukes Satan when Satan tempts him and tells him to fall down and worship. Jesus responds by saying, 

Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 

            “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God 

and him only shall you serve.’^[2] ”

Jesus is worthy of worship because Jesus is God. We worship God in the Trinity. There are three persons of the godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the incarnate Son of God. By this, we mean that he is the second person of the Trinity who took on human flesh when he was born of the virgin Mary. This is both a doctrine that is basic to Christian teaching and one that transcends our human limitations in many ways. But it’s one that is on display in this passage. It’s also one that is important for all of us to consider.

Who is Jesus? is a fundamental question that deeply shapes our theology. It’s a question that lingered in the air in Jesus’ day and was answered in a variety of ways. When Jesus asked Peter directly, “Who do you say that I am?” He responded, “The Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 

What does that mean? Well, we see a picture of it in our passage this morning. We see attributes that were used to describe God sitting on the throne in chapter 4 now being used to describe the lamb. Compare chapter 4, verse 11, and chapter 5, verse 12. Do you notice it?  Both are worthy to receive glory, and honor, and power.

Cue the Spiderman meme. The one who sits on the throne and the lamb are worthy of the same kind of praise; they are owed the same worship. There is one God who is worthy of this kind of worship, but this one God is also distinguished in three persons. We see a glimpse of that in what comes next. We see that both the one on the throne and the lamb are being praised at the same time.

Right here in John 5, we encounter two ancient heresies: one that downplayed Jesus, and the other that claimed God manifested Himself in three different ways. 

Worship Is A Response and Witness

What does a successful worship service look like? It looks like seeing Jesus for who he is and what he has done. This is the motivation for worship. In a time of fake hype and mere emotionalism, faithful worship is a response to who God is and what God has done in Christ. 

God is worthy to be praised for who he is, but we have seen in Revelation 4 and 5 that God is worshipped for what he has done. God is the creator God and because of that is worthy to be worshipped. We ask our kids a simple catechism question: Why do you worship God? The answer is simple. Because he made me and takes care of me. The ultimate way that God has taken care of us is through the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus who came to this earth in our place. It is he who came to rescue us from sin and death. From a life lived in rejection and rebellion, ultimately resulting in the just punishment of hell. To a life now secure in the kingdom of God because of the blood of Jesus. 

It’s a response to what Christ has done

The passage mentions that they sing a new song. I want to be clear that worship is more than singing. Sometimes we reduce worship to singing. I recently saw an ad for a campus ministry that used worship in this way. It differentiated community, Bible teaching, and worship as if they were different things belonging to separate categories. But worship includes learning through Bible teaching. It includes prayer. It includes and creates community. With all of that said, it singing is a part of worship. We see in Ephesians 5:19 to build one another up through song. We see songs of praise throughout Scripture, and here in Revelation, we see a reference to a new song. Sing a new song is used elsewhere in Scripture. The newness here is in reference to responding to the work that had been done. The Son of God could be praised for who he is in his character, but now it is in response to what has been done in history. The lamb has conquered.

The action, though, cannot be disconnected from who Jesus is. Listen to what Tom Schreiner says,

John isn’t saying the Lamb is worthy merely because he was slain; he teaches that the one who is slain is worthy, and because he is worthy his death effectively redeems his people^[3]

The passage says that his work has ransomed a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. That expression itself is a sermon. And the idea of tribe, tongue, and nation will resurface in the book of Revelation. But let’s think about that. In men’s Bible study this week, we previewed this text, and one of the guys mentioned how we don’t often think about the concept of ransom. It’s true that Jesus’ work is bigger than the ransom; he is pictured as the conquering lamb, pointing to his sacrifice and substitution. But this is also a Biblical aspect. And here it tells us of the one who ransoms. What is this getting at? We might think of paying a ransom price for someone who has been kidnapped. Some of your translations may say “purchase.” Clinton Arnold gives background information that is helpful for us,

Jesus the Lamb was slain willingly and purchased people with his blood. The Greek word agorazō, translated “purchased,” is a term of the public marketplace. Every Greco-Roman city had a marketplace called the agora, or forum, where slaves would be bought and sold. Here the metaphor of the slave auction is used to describe Christ’s spiritual purchase of individuals for God (cf. Rev. 14:4). Peter used similar language when he addressed the Asian church, “It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed … but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18–19).^[4]

It is true that we contribute to our condition. We have all sinned. But sin is also slavery, as we see in Romans 6. It includes belonging, we might think of Colossians 1:13-14 where we hear,

 ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.^[5]

Jesus’ work frees us from the consequences of sin and also the power of sin. It delivers forgiveness and redemption. Perhaps you are feeling trapped right now under the weight of sin. Maybe you think there is no way out. Listen, Jesus’ blood is sufficient to redeem you. 

It’s a response by those who have been changed

Not only is worship a response to what Christ has done, but there is something even more intimate for us as Christians. It is our redemption. It is our salvation. We are part of the kingdom of God. We are now a holy priesthood. This language is incredibly important. It echoes what the nation of Israel was called to be in the Old Testament. 

⁵ Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; ⁶ and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”^[6]

They were to be a holy nation, a priesthood. This was part of God’s mission to make himself known among the nations through a particular people. They were to bless others. Yet, we see over and over that they fail in this vocation. They succumb to sin and become like the nations around them. But the true seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ, succeeded. Now the church is engrafted into this plan of redemption. People from every tribe, tongue, and nation are united as the church and called to live as his representatives. 

The idea of priesthood and holy nation is our calling right now. Priesthood includes the ministry of praise and prayer. 

For Christians, all of life is worship because we are changed by the work of Christ

Do you recognize that every aspect of your life is a reflection of Jesus Christ? Think of this language, they were ransomed for God. To be a holy nation. They are a priesthood. They are to reign. Our lives are now lived in a new direction. We no longer live for ourselves or our own glory but for the Lord. To worship God is to show him to be worthy of all our honor and praise.  Romans 12 tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, which is our spiritual worship. One practical way that we worship in all of life is by living with Christ as Lord.

Worship Transforms and Invites

The one who holds the scroll, holds the scroll

Think about this reality for a second. Here was have an image of one who is holding a scroll representing the decrees and plan of God in his hand. I sometimes post images on social media in the morning as reminders for Christians. I used to do this at night as well. One of the images I posted said this. Christian sleep well knowing that God holds tomorrow in the palm of his hand. That is what we have here in this image. As we worship Jesus Christ, we are reminded that there is one who rules over all. That we don’t need to keep the world turning. This is incredibly freeing.

Think about this in terms of John’s original audience. Here are people who are risking persecution by the greatest empire the world had known. In the Roman Empire, the empire was regarded as the focal point of world history and the emperor as the gift of the gods to mankind and the one to who is owed ultimate allegiance was owed. In the midst of that this vision drops. One who holds history. One who is supreme over all of creation. 

Maybe that is you, maybe it is not even at the scale of a nation, but maybe it is the difficulties at home or work. Things that can seem all-encompassing and take over your life. Or maybe you are a news junkie and you can’t help but get wrapped up in the major events that are taking place in the world. This vision does not take away from the reality of these situations, but it does put them in perspective. It doesn’t take away from how we might contribute, but it does place it at the feet of the One who holds the scroll. We do not have the ability to change the course of history, but we do serve the one who holds history.

A recipe for a worn-out Christian is a prayerless Christian. Our prayers are like a sweet smell to him. But we can even grow weary in our prayers when we are trusting a particular outcome more than the One we are praying to. We can trust that our prayers are before him and that he will act in a way that is for His glory and our good.

The one who holds the scroll redeems

It’s not only that he holds history, but he also redeems. We touched on this earlier; it is Jesus who has purchased us from the domain of darkness. The work of Christ in redemption is comprehensive. As Colossians 1:20 teaches, all things are being reconciled. This is amazing hope for us and one that relates well with our passage this morning. Do we notice the passive nature of what is taking place? By Jesus’ blood, this takes place. He has made us a great nation. He has made us priests. The kingdom of God and our Christian identity are not something that we need to achieve, but they are something that we receive as a free gift. This is important for us to recognize, we live in light of these realities, but we don’t bring them about in our power. 

He even redeems our prayers. Illustration of a child bringing flowers home, and the mother helps take out the weeds and put in other flowers so it can be a nice bouquet at home.

This should humble us and free us. God doesn’t need us. The kingdom is not contingent on you or me. Yet God desires to use us in his plan to make his kingdom known. There are times when this can be discouraging. John’s original audience likely felt discouraged, outnumbered. How can there be any hope? Then John gives them a glimpse of what they are a part of. There are thousands upon thousands worshiping the Lamb. You are not alone. There are people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. The use of four here, used elsewhere in Scripture, like the four corners of the earth or the four winds, indicates a comprehensiveness. 

The one who holds the scroll is slain

Here is another important aspect of this image: the lamb is slain. This displays the price that has been paid, but it also shows the humility and type of rule of Jesus. Why is this important? Because how we understand Jesus impacts how we understand ourselves. We become what we worship. It also shapes the way we live out our calling.

The idea of reign in this passage is difficult to interpret. Some place it fully in the future, with the new heavens and the new earth. Others see it relating to Revelation 20 and the rule that is mentioned there. For those who hold to the premillennial view, that would mean the reign is for 1,000 years when Christ returns. But, again, it’s not clear here. It is giving us a glimpse, something that has already been hinted at as a promise to the faithful churches, is now seen as something that is true for those Christ has redeemed by his blood. What is important for us to recognize today is that this rule is a result of redemption and is pointed toward God. Whether it is fully in the future and what is being alluded to remains unclear, but we can still imperfectly point to this even today. As we live for Christ in holy lives and in our sacrificial care for others, we anticipate that day, we rule with Christ, the Lamb who is slain. 

Corporate Worship Is an Invitation

I don’t want us to miss the trajectory of the text. We have an ever-expanding aspect within this passage. From close to the throne to further out. Worshipping the lamb has a compounding effect within the passage; it invites others to participate as well. In fact, within this passage, we see everyone and everything included. It’s a reversal of 5:3, where there is a search for who is worthy, and nothing in creation is, and now everything in creation is acknowledging the one who is worthy. This might generate questions like “Are even unbelievers joining in on this?” We do know that every knee will confess that Christ is Lord in Phil 2, but here it seems to be a joyous scene, and there may be a use of hyperbole to get at the comprehensive and expansive aspect of Christ’s worthiness.

But this image is instructive for us as well. There is something powerful about this scene. John in describing it gives comfort to churches who are struggling. And the scene itself reads like a contagious spreading of worship to the one who is worthy.

This is important for us to think about. Too often, we create a sharp distinction between worship and evangelism. Between honoring God as Christians and telling others about him. We might be tempted to think that evangelism really is when we tell others about Jesus using a particular method. I love evangelism methods, and they can be really helpful tools. But we need to be careful of limiting our understanding of evangelism to our favorite method. The word comes from the word for gospel – it’s gospeling, it’s declaring the good news. And this worship scene and the truth that is being sung is gospeling. 

There is something powerful about the act of worship itself. Think about it. In an age of hyper-productivity, of either work or leisure, we choose something distinct each week. We set aside time to worship Christ. To remind one another of His work through songs that we sing, prayers that we pray, Scripture that is read, and sermons that are delivered. This both builds us up and serves as an invitation to others.

Maybe that is you. You have been on the fence. You are coming to church, maybe watching online, coming for a little bit, but have not entered in. You are witnessing the worship scene but are not an active participant because you have not experienced this for yourself. I can’t think of a better time than now to trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for your sin. When you do, we hear in the gospels that the angels in heaven rejoice. There is a fresh reminder of Jesus’ work. 

---

^[1] Buist M. Fanning, Revelation, ed. Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 221.

^[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 4:10.

^[3] Thomas R. Schreiner, “Revelation,” in Hebrews–Revelation, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. XII, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 610.

^[4] Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Hebrews to Revelation., vol. 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 286.

^[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 1:13–14.

^[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ex 19:5–6.