Rev.5:1-10 The Greatest Real-estate  Deal in History

 

Intro: The title of my message this morning is the Greatest Real-estate Deal in History

A)   Walt Disney made an awesome real-estate deal when he purchased a piece of property about 25 miles from Civilization

 

B)    Then the property was known mainly for the shacks that sat upon it & the cows that grazed in the Field

1)                 Now it is known as Anaheim & the Home of DISNEYLAND

 

A)    Or think of Manhattan a little Island in N.Y. that was Purchased by Peter Minuet – the General director for the Dutch Colony of New Nether.

1)                 Minuet Purchased Manhattan from the Native Americans for goods equally 60 guilders – which is about 24 bucks

 

A)     Talk about a great Real-estate deal – could say – I BOUGHT Manhattan for 24 dollars

 

Another great real-estate deal was the Louisiana Purchase –

A)      it cost a little more / Thomas Jefferson purchased it from Napoleon

    for approx. 15 million dollars 

 

B)      But it was compromised of 800,000 sq. miles north of the Mississippi River

1)                    We are Grateful for that Purchase because it changed the course of American Civilization – Great deal

 

A)      But Hands down the Greatest Real-estate deal in the History of the World is the one we can read about here in Rev. Ch. 5

1)                    The Real-estate at Stake is the Planet earth – the One who Purchased it ? OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST /  PRICE? HIS BLOOD

 

A)      Paul said in Romans – Creation groans waiting for the Redemption

A Preacher preaching sun. sermon – Jacobs Ladder – ( Angels ascending & Descending -  Son 10yrs old  really enjoyed the message

A)   A few days latter – Dad I really enjoyed your message the other day – I also had a dream about a ladder going up to heaven  

 

B)   In my dream people were climbing the Ladder & as they climbed they had  to Write w/ Chalk on the steps of the Ladder –sins they committed

1)                 Dad I started to climb / got about Ό of the way up when I saw someone coming down the Ladder

 

A)   Dad said – someone was coming down the Ladder? Who would be climbing down the Ladder?  – Dad – now remember this was only a Dream but the man coming down was you Dad/ It was you dad

1)                 Me – I was climbing down the ladder – what was I climbing down the ladder for ? Son replied For more Chalk !!!!!

 

Listen what we are going to be Grateful for in Heaven is that the Black board has been erased

A)   The Blood of Jesus Christ the lamb of God has prevailed to deal w/ the Great issue of sin

 

B) In Christ our sins have been ERASED – REMOVED – we rejoice just as   

       David declared in Psa.  32:1 

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.

2  Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,

 

C) We can be Grateful for that This Morning !!!!!!!!!!!     Read v.1-7

 

As we consider this Awesome Real-estate Deal – there are 3 things that we want to see & consider in our TEXT

1st of all in v. 1,2 we see the Deed

          2nd – V.3,4 – the Dilemma – the Problem

                         3rd -  5-7    The DELIVERER EMERGES

 

 

I.                 THE DEED

A)   John still in Heaven – there before the Throne – In Ch. 4 the focus was on the one who sat upon the Throne

 

B) Now John notices this scroll in His hand -   They didn’t have books or

     printing presses in those days – everything written on a Scroll

 

C)The Scroll were hand written on 8X10 pieces of papyrus that were  

     connected Horizontally & wound around a wooden handle

1)                 They would write in these 3 inch columns

 

A)   Now Epistles size  Philemon / Jude / 2Jn. / 3rd Jn would fit on one single piece of papyrus

1)                 Where as a Letter Like the Book of Revelation would require a scroll that was 15 ft. long !!!!!

 

E)So if you walked in here today w/ the Scroll of the Book of Rev. – pretty

     large scroll under your Arm !!!!!

 

 

Now normally- the scrolls were only written on one side – inside Which was smooth /back side that was rough

A)   But we read here concerning this scroll that it was written on the inside / but also on the back side as well – why ?

 

B)   We learn the answer from ancient Jewish history – See there was a Unique scroll in which they wrote on both sides

1)                 That Unique Document was a TITLE DEED to a property

 

A)   See Initially it would be written only on the inside – the smooth side & sealed w/ a single seal

1)                 On the inside they would list Description/ the Assets & Liabilities of that Property

 

 

Now if the owner became unable to meet his financial obligations for one reason or another he would have to relinquish his title deed

A)    And so on the Backside of that scroll would be written his debts & the reason why you lost the Property & requirements to Regain it

 

B)    And then the Document would be sealed w/ seven seals for seven yrs

1)                 Now if in the course of those seven yrs – your Financial situation changed –

 

A)    You could go to the Elders of the city Petition to buy back Your land/ & if you met the Requirements -  the seals would be broken –/ redeem it

 

Now If you could not fulfill the conditions it was still not lost – because a relative of yours could do it for you

A)   The Bible calls such a one the GOEL – or the KINSMEN REDEEMER

 

B)   3 requirements :  #1 he had to be a Relative – a Kinsmen –

1)                 #2 -  He had to be ABLE to do it -  Does He have the Money the Resources to pull it off

2)                 #3 – Is He willing to Do it !!!!!!

 

A)    If he didn’t want to he didn’t have to !!!!

 

 

Now there are a couple of Notable examples of this in the O.T. Scriptures / First of all in the story of Ruth

A)   Naomi & Her husband Elimech lived in Beth. – the house of Bread when a Famine Struck

 

B)   They reacted by moving to Moab w/ their two sons – There in Moab the boys took Moabite wives ( Family fell on hard times )

1)                 Elimelech died as did his two Sons -  ( Naomi decided to go back to Beth. – told her daughter in-laws to stay in Moab & remarry )

 

A)    However one of them – Ruth declared – Where you go I will go Your people will be my people Your God my God

1)                 So they returned together

 

A)   Having lost everything – Naomi was not able to Redeem the Property that they lost when they left

1)                 So Ruth went to work in the Field of a Rich man – named BOAZ  /

 She was given the leftovers 

 

A)   It was found out later that Boaz & Naomi were related – He could perform the right of the GOEL – THE KINSMEN REDEEMER ( Able)

1)                 Question was He WILLING ? – Answer was yes – because He had fallen in love w/ RUTH -  Package deal – Buy the land get the girl

 

Great story – Another involves the prophet JEREMIAH – Ch.32

A)   Jeremiah was in Prison for being Righteous man – out spoken Prophet

 

B)   He had prophesied that Jerusalem was going to be captured by the Babylonians

There in Prison he received a note from his cousin requesting that he perform the right of the Goel by purchasing a piece of property that his cousin had To Forfeit /His cousin urged him to keep it in the Family

 

C)   It made no sense for Jeremiah to purchase the Property since he knew in a short while Jerusalem was going to be overtaken by Babylon

1)                 But Jer. 32 records that He did so because the Lord showed him that their Captivity would not be Permanent – they would return

 

A)   And though the Land had no Value at the time he bought it / it would have value when they returned !!!!!

 

Now I am not trying to bore you w/ Jewish legal issues or O.T. history –but those facts & stories give us insight into what this Document is

A)   IT IS A TITLE DEED – THE TITLE DEED TO PLANET EARTH

 This right here tells us why the World is in the Mess that it is in !!!!!

A)   Originally the Title Deed to planet earth was given to Adam in the Garden – He was given DOMINION over the earth

 

B)   But that – right was forfeited in the Garden – when man fell – Adam sinned – ( Eve deceived – Adam willfully Disobedient )

1)                 When Adam sinned he forfeited his right to ownership of planet earth / he filed SPIRITUAL BANKRUPTCY –when he ate

 

A)   At that moment Satan became the god of this World ( 2 Cor.4:4) / Jesus called him the RULER OF THIS WORLD – Jn. 12:31

 

B)    Recall Jesus temptation – Satan took him high Mt. – All the Kingdoms ….

1)                 Jesus didn’t ARGUE -  NOT YOURS TO GIVE

 

A)   Me – take You to Mt. Palomar – Romona / Poway / Esc/ OSCD/ RB/

1)                 All Yours if you bow down to me – Nuts crazy – not yours to give

 

A)   But Jesus didn’t argue w/ Satan – because it was true – that is why Jesus came – was to Redeem the World Back

 

 

Instead Jesus declared For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

A)     In other words the scriptures declare that I am to Worship the Father & to serve Him Exclusively –

 

B)    I will not bow down to you even though you are offering me the World / w/out the Cross

 

C)    JESUS  resisted the temptation of Satan to get the World w/out the Cross but Jesus didn’t refute the fact that it was Satan’s to Give

 

 

 

And that fact that Satan is the god of this world – EXPLAINS why the world is in the mess that it is in His goal – To kill to Rob & Destroy

 

A) Satan is like the captain of a ship that he knows is going down – so he makes statements like –all of you in 2nd class – upgraded for free 1st class 

1)                 Free drinks in the Ball room – You want to bowl in there / do what ever you like it doesn’t matter – the Party is on me

 

A)   Everyone thinks this guy is great – he let’s us do what ever we want – not realizing that he knows the ship is going to sink in 20 minutes

 

B)    But this helps me to understand why the World is in the mess that it is in

1)                 God has allowed the World to be in the hands of Satan for the time being / result Aids / Wars / violence / Killings / Atlanta

 

A)    And People by rejecting God’s ownership of their lives / by refusing to worship God / live for God / they are Worshipping Satan

1)                 Some directly & Knowingly / others Indirectly & Unknowingly

 

 

Jesus made it very clear when he said – You are either for me or against me – ( Listen there is no middle ground )

A)   Those who are not w/ Jesus / those who refuse to Worship Jesus & Live for Jesus / those who are not walking w/ Jesus

 

B)    ARE WORSHIPPING SATAN -  by simply living for themselves

1)                 They are following his system & they don’t even realize it

 

A)     Paul put it this way in Eph. 2 you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,3  among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

 

This is the reason for all the Problems we see – Man is not living for God but is walking according to the course of this world / god of ….

A)   AIDS / WARS / DISEASES / VIOLENCE – all a result!!

 

B)   Now some people object that is not fair Adam Blew it & we have to pay  what kind of system is this anyway !!!!!

1)                 We get punished for his Blunder

 

A)   Here is what we need to understand – ADAM WAS OUR BEST – Adam was our Champion / THE BEST WE HAD TO OFFER

1)                 Let’s say that David Stern – comm. For the NBA – called me & said – come down to the New Staples arena where Lakers play / Phil/  Shack.

 

A)   At half time – top of key – 7 out of 10 I get 5 Million dollars

1)                 Hang up the phone – race out to the Drive way – Practice –rent Rick Barry’s video on how to shoot free throws

 

E) Next day   calls & says I forgot to tell you  / You can have someone else shoot in your place – anyone at all –

1)                           I am going to find a way to get a hold of Michael Jordan – greatest ever – say Mike How would you like to make an easy 500,000

 

Adam was the Michael Jordan who stood in for you & for me & failed miserably – Which means you & I would have done a lot worse

A)   So Adam Blew it / the Title deed to the earth was forfeited into the hands of Satan – became the god of this world

 

B)   So on the Outside of this Scroll were written the Requirements & the Conditions for the one who would seek to Redeem the World

1)                 Price would be the life of a perfect sinless Sacrifice / Pay the Price for the sins of all Humanity

 

2  Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?"3  And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.

A)   Here is the DILEMMA: Who is Worthy – search is made – No ONE

1)                 Abe – man of great faith – ( Not Worthy) Moses meekest / Samson Strongest / Solomon the wisest / David – after God’s own heart

 

A)   John the B. ( The Greatest ) Paul wrote Ύ of N.T. – not Paul – not Peter not Mary – Highly favored among women

1)                 No one was found WORTHY

 

 

Notice the question isn’t who is willing: Many have been Willing: Neb.

Alexander the Great – wept no more ….

A)   Genghis Khan willing / Charlemagne willing / Napoleon willing/ Hitler willing / HILLARY

 

B)    Many have said – Give me a crack at it – let me have a shot

1)                 But the Angel doesn’t ask – Who is Willing but Who is worthy And the ANSWER IS NO ONE

 

A)   SO John begins to weep – v. 4 – Word wept = to Sob Convulsively he is heart Broken – why ?

1)                 He realizes that if no one is found the World is going to go on forever under the Rulership of Satan – the thought Breaks his heart (Hopeless)

 

A)   I understand that : I felt the same way as I read this story of Mark Barton who killed his wife kids / 9others

1)                 And has for a long time been suspected of killing his first wife & mother in law

 

A)   But from all outward appearances – seemed like a normal guy living in an upper middle class neighborhood – did Boy scouts w/ Son

 

B)   I thought about this a few weeks ago when we were at the Harbor – Sunday night – reminded me of Boy Killed last year

1)                 What Kind of World is it going to be when my kids are my age ? It just can’t go on – Getting worse & Worse

Consider this 30 yrs ago People were watching on T.V. shows like Ozzy & Harriet & Father Knows Best

A)   Contrast that by what is on T.V. Now

 

B)   A Generation ago – Our Nation was Peaked in a Controversy / it shook our whole country

1)                 When Clark Gable  at the end of Gone w/ the Wind said a Swear word

Frankly my dear – I don’t give a _______

 

A)   People were angry – Christians were up set & whole sections of our Culture Boycotted that Movie

1)                 Can You imagine that – One word ( that word ) causing that kind of Controversy – Today that would be a FAMILY FILM

 

A)   People say we have Progressed – We have Digressed is more like it

 

 

It wasn’t long ago that people who wanted to view Child Pornography would have to wear a hat dark glasses ( go to some seedy hole )

A)   Now they can do so in the privacy of their own homes via Computer which allows them to pull up the most Vial images

 

B) And “NO ONE “ will ever Know - ( $100billion indust)     In many ways

we are worse than Sodom & Gomorrah

1)           I can relate to John – wept – My heart Broke – wept read about the Killings in Atlanta – ( notes this guy left )

 

A)   When is the last time you had a good cry because of the world’s sin?

1)                 When is the last time – Wept over the fact that millions in Hell

 

John wept – because No one was found worthy – Just think if Rev. ended right here – PTL it doesn’t – Elder finds John says

"Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals."

 

HERE WE MEET THE DELIVERER

A)   The Lion of the Tribe of Judah & the Root of David were two terms used in the O.T. to describe the Messiah

 

B)    Gen. 49 – Jacob on his death bed – blessing his sons 9  Judah is a lion's whelp; 10  The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

 

C)    It was a Prophecy concerning how the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah – Insignia was the Lion

 

D)   Isa. 11:1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

1)                 Jesse was David’s Father -  Rod from the stem of Jesse / Branch out of His Roots

 

A)    Messiah would be a Direct descendant of King David

 

 

So John is told not to weep because the Lion of the Tribe of Judah has been found worthy – turned to see this Lion

A)   But in v. 6 – we are told that instead He saw a Lamb as though it had been slain !!!!

 

B)   This gives us an indication that there in Heaven Jesus is going to still bear the Marks of His Crucifixion / Price He paid for us

1)                 Term lamb – is used 26 times in the book of Rev. as a Description of Jesus ( Lamb slain) / After Resurrection. Thomas

 

A)   Interesting that the only man made marks in Heaven are the ones that we made on Jesus when He was Crucified

 

 

Wipe away every Tear – Possible Reaction when we see Him & Realize what our sin did to Him

A)   Speak for Eternity of His Love for Us – also His VICTORY

 

B)   Reminder that He was Able to Purchase Us / He was Able to Redeem the World !!!! 

 

C)   Note interesting Looking Lamb v.6 /7Horns / 7 eyes / 7 Spirits of God

1) Seven is the Number of completion -   Horn always represents authority -  Complete or Perfect in Authority ( Omnipotent)

 

D)   Eyes speaks of His Insight – Knows all / and sees all – Perfect or Complete in what He Knows ( Omniscient)

 

E)    7 Spirits – ref. Isa. 11:2 – Seven fold working of the H.S. – represents the Perfect & Complete aspect of the H.S. in His Life

1) Omnipresent -   With us ALWAYS  

 

 

So John is encouraged that this Lamb is worthy to Take the Scroll & Lose the Seals -  ( The Redemption could happen)

A)   DOES HE MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS TO BE OUR GOEL / OUR KINSMEN REDEEMER ?

 

1ST – IS HE RELATED - 

A)   Phil 2 – We are told Jesus left the glory of Heaven – lowered himself in becoming a Man

Spurgeon: How great a stoop from the Height of His throne to a Dunghill

 

B)   John 1 In the Beg. Was the Word ….w/ … was God / Word became flesh …….

1)                 1 Cor. 15 – Last Adam -  Became a Man –

 

A)   The  virgin birth was necessary because if Jesus was only Divine Redemption couldn’t take place because He had to be related to us

2nd Is He Able – Was He able to redeem us – Did He meet the requirement?

A)   He sure did – Listen to what the Elders sing

 

8  Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

9  And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,10  And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."

 

B)   He met the requirements & the debt was Paid in full – Tetlesti

1)                 It is finished

 

A)   Stamped on a Debt when Paid / After Jail time served / Servants work was Finished 

 

 

Here is the idea we were bankrupt spiritually – w/ no hope in the world of paying off our debt

A)   We forfeited the world into the hands of the enemy – we were not able to meet the requirements to purchase it back

 

B) But we have a Goel – a kinsmen redeemer – who was more than ABLE – Question was He willing !!!!      Answer is Yes

 

John 10 17  "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

18     "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.

 

 

 

He was willing alright – the Question is Why ?  Answer – He loved us / but still wonder why -  Boaz w/ Ruth understandable – Beauty

A)   But us – the Bible says that there was nothing Desirable about us

Enemies / At our Worst – ( Guys curlers & Cold cream –Brownies)

 

B)   But He loved us anyway – saw us as His Treasure –

1)                 Matt. 13 – Jesus told a Story about a man who found a Treasure in a Field & went & bought the field so He could have the Treasure

 

A)   JESUS SAW WHAT WE WOULD BECOME !!!!!!

1) He was Willing !!!!!

 

Jesus has purchased the world & the day is coming – Reclaim it –

A)   My question for you today is Have you given Him the title DEED TO YOUR LIFE ? -  IS HE YOUR LORD

 

B)    Living for Him ? Or are your Living for Self – which = really following after Satan’s Plan & System for the World

1) For or Against ? NO MIDDLE GROUND