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[0:00] Depending upon the help of the Holy Spirit, I would direct your minds this evening to the fifth chapter in Revelation.

[0:15] The book of Revelation, chapter 5, reading in the way of a text, verse 12, saying, with a loud voice, worthy is the man that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.

[0:58] I'm wondering, friends, if there's a more favoured man as John ever lived, a part of, of course, in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[1:10] Because the Holy Spirit revealed many things unto John the disciple and eventually the apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[1:28] He had many things unfolded to him of the gospel, of the Lamb of God, and more, even of heaven.

[1:44] Those wonderful visions that he was made manifest to him. As I said, he was a favoured man.

[1:57] And he tells us in the first chapter of his epistle that he knew that man.

[2:10] He had heard of him. He had seen him, the Lamb of God, when he was here on earth. So in that way, we can say that John was greatly favoured to see the one in the text, the Lamb of God, when in his body on earth.

[2:33] And he was also favoured to hear his voice. For Jesus spake to him many times as a disciple. And he also spoke to him some of his last words on Calvary's cross.

[2:51] Did he not say to John, Behold my mother. Therefore we can say that John was greatly favoured in the days when he was here on earth.

[3:06] And not only to see him, to hear his voice. But we read, he leant upon the bosom of Christ in that upper room.

[3:21] John was greatly favoured. And I believe this son here this evening would desire, even this night, to hear his voice.

[3:35] Because this Lamb of God still speaks. He is in heaven. And Job said, Behold my Redeemer liveth.

[3:47] And friends, if we hear his voice even tonight, through his word, or have some little faith view of him, we shall know that the words that Job spake was very, very true.

[4:04] Previous to the text, And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beast, and the heralders.

[4:23] John could not, he knew not the number, that here we have it related, or rather left on record, that the number of them was ten thousand times, ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.

[4:50] We have read in that chapter of John this evening a little of this Lamb of God. Oh, John the Baptist had some knowledge of him.

[5:09] And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God. And again we read, He first finding his own brother Simon, and said unto him, We have found the Messiah.

[5:27] Jesus, and he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon.

[5:39] We have this in the old chapter. Philip findeth Daniel, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, the Lamb of God.

[6:06] Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. First, just a thought here, a Lamb, a Lamb.

[6:24] If we might look upon it from a natural viewpoint, a Lamb, meek. Truly, the Lord Jesus was meek.

[6:38] He preached to his dear people, the disciples and others on the mount. He said, Blessed are they that are meek. Meek. And truly, we can say, respecting this man, meek, in all his ways, and in his actions, and in his thought, to all who feared him.

[7:06] In the prophecy of Isaiah, we read, of this Lamb being slaughtered.

[7:17] He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a Lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is done, so he openeth not his mouth.

[7:36] death. In our text, it speaks of the Lamb, the Lamb of God, none other than the Son of God. He commenced his pilgrimage, shall I say, or his life here on earth in a very, very low place.

[7:56] Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant.

[8:13] This Lamb, this Son of God, born, as you know, at Bethlehem, no great manger, no great palace, no place to be proud of, no, he was laid in the manger, as a babe, in the stable, he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

[8:47] So we can say that this Lamb, this Son of God, in a very humble place, as a babe, in the manger.

[9:01] Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. He was a babe in a wonderful way.

[9:13] No other babe has ever entered into this life sinless that we can say that this Lamb at birth had that divine nature, and he was truly humble, and holy, pure, undefiled by his sin.

[9:36] So Jesus, this Lamb of God, the Son of God, had a very low beginning. he commenced his pilgrimage.

[9:52] He was found, as you know, among the doctors, and his wisdom was great. They were astonished at his wisdom, at his understanding, so great in those days of youth.

[10:09] See the wonderful change, dear friend, in one sense of the word. Yes, as a babe, yet, was spared, grew up as a child, twelve years of age, I believe, when in the temple, speaking and manifesting his wisdom to others.

[10:31] This is the one in the text, the Lamb of God, that God the Father had a purpose, a purpose, in respect of his son, in respect of sending his son into this world.

[10:51] The purpose was this, we may have mentioned it this morning in trying to speak from the words in Timothy. The purpose was this, to bring these we have read of, thousands and ten thousands, think of it, poor, undone sinners, ruined in the fall, yet these people should be saved.

[11:21] Therefore, God the Father sent his dear son, speaks of him as the Lamb, to redeem their souls.

[11:34] No greater work could a man undertake and no other man could undertake it but the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

[11:45] Worthy is the Lamb. And friends, if we know ourselves as we, as her friend described us this afternoon or described those who fear God, we shall have love to this one.

[12:05] Endless blessings on the Lamb, broken hearts repeat the same. His dear heart was broken too when he bore the curse for you.

[12:15] That's what he came to do. We were all under the law broken. We had broken the law, all sinners, condemned as it were, for eternal misery.

[12:27] Yet the Lamb of God was sent. Jesus entered. Jesus came. Jesus steps between that holy father of his who cannot look upon sin with any degree of allowance and stands between him and the church of God.

[12:49] Worthy is the Lamb. Now this Lamb was slain, slain. Friends, this is sacred ground, solemn thoughts upon this man.

[13:07] Jesus, as I have mentioned as the boy, full of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and yet he was brought to that place in later years to be slain as a sheep, as it were.

[13:28] I must again refer to this chapter, 53rd of Isaiah. I've heard it mentioned as being the chapter of chapters, and true it is, because it speaks of Jesus, the Lamb of God, from the first word, as it were, to the end.

[13:51] He was oppressed, and He was afflicted. Think of it. Yet He opened not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.

[14:10] What an experience. It seems, perhaps, to us, and to our natural mind, very strange, that God the Father, so united to His Son, His beloved Son, that He should cause Him to walk in that path, and to be brought as a lamb to the slaughter.

[14:37] Seems mysterious, the threads, there was no other way. There was no other way of salvation. There was no other way to bring, as it were, hope in our heart, to be delivered from our sin, and from the punishment of sin, and to be delivered from the pit of destruction.

[14:58] Oh, if we rightly view these things and the wonderful work that Christ has done here on earth, here upon earth, at in Jerusalem, that great work to redeem poor sinners.

[15:16] think of it, brought as a lamb to the slaughter, to death. Not that those soldiers who led him to the cross, to Calvary, they did not take his life, he gave it, voluntary life, willingly, lovingly, and yet treated, as it were, as a lamb, at the slaughter.

[15:46] To have for his life to be taken. Taken, I have said, not by the soldiers, but taken according to the scriptures, and according to the will of the Father, that he should be brought to this solemn place, and to be slaughtered, as it were.

[16:09] Calvary's cross, sacred place, place that will never be remembered, in life, in death, and for eternity. For the poet has said, a man, a real man, with wounds still gaping wide.

[16:28] If that is so, dear friends, and I believe it is, we shall see this lamb that was slaughtered, we shall see those hands of his, and feet, that those nails pierced, and that side of his also, as a lamb slaughtered, will yet be seen in the heavens above.

[16:57] This took place here on earth. We sung this morning in that wonderful and blessed hymn, speaking of the lamb and that which he passed through.

[17:10] how little do we realize what he endured. The poet has said what he endured, no tongue outrue, no tongue can tell.

[17:25] To save, can we save our souls from death and earth from hell. Worthy is the lamb, worthy is the lamb that was slain.

[17:49] He came to death, but as we little know, what dread crimes once pierced his heart, sank his soul in vengeful snart, but his sin atoning blood now maintains your peace with God.

[18:09] No wonder the dear poet said endless blessings on him breast, broken hearts in him are blessed, and though they may trembling stand, yet he he upholds them with his hand.

[18:26] This lamb of God brought to the place of slaughter, there he died on Calvary's cross. He died to live, he died to rise again, he died to and suffered to fulfill the law, he died and rose again that there may be a way opened for poor sinners to enter into the gates of paradise and be freed from sin and from the punishment of sin forever.

[19:06] A greater work, do you know dear friends anything so great, so marvellous, so blessed that one should die for thousands of poor sinners.

[19:22] He was slaughtered, brought to the face. Did he die for us? Did he come to cross to Calvary for us?

[19:34] When he said it is finished, have you ever felt a little interest in that word, finished? The work is finished. Have you ever felt to be in the covenant of his grace?

[19:48] Have you ever felt to be among these people whom he hath died for? we had heard this afternoon from our dear friend the way the Lord by his Holy Spirit brings poor sinners out of nature's darkness and leads them along and shows them a path to heaven and those things what poor sinners have to pass through often, deep waters, knowledge of sin, the burden of sin and so on.

[20:25] Well, Jesus died for these people. Yes, this Lamb of God slaughtered, as it were. Have we an interest in him?

[20:36] Have we an interest in Jesus? Have we an interest in his precious blood that cleanseth from all sin? Have we an interest in that wonderful and blessed fountain he has opened for poor sinners to be cleansed and purified in?

[20:59] Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. And if we have a little interest in his precious blood and love because it's all in love.

[21:14] He came in love. He moved about in love. He went about healing poor sinners in love.

[21:26] He preached the gospel in love. He dealt in love. He lived in love. He came to suffer in love. He died on Calvary's cross in love.

[21:38] We can say he rose again in love. Saying with a loud voice worthy is the Lamb.

[21:54] Friends, if we have a little interest in him and feel that he has an interest in us by the power of steadied in our heart, it will cause us with a loud voice to praise him, to praise father, that father, yes, in sending his dear son.

[22:21] We shall praise Jesus, the Lamb of God, for that wonderful work of salvation. And we shall say he is worthy of all praise as we feel that interest and especially if we have the application of the blood, of the love, in our hearts.

[22:43] We shall say with them of old, with those angels, worthy is the Lamb. Have we ever felt a little of this wonderful blessing that caused our hearts to be enlarged as it was with Javis of old, having his coast enlarged as it were to praise the Trinity.

[23:12] Father, in his love and in his sending his dear beloved son, and love to thus the Lamb who so willingly was slaughtered as it were, that came to death, that voluntary death.

[23:28] Have we ever praised the Holy Spirit for it is his work to take of the things of Jesus and to reveal them unto us? Have we had a little revelation and the application of the Spirit of this Lamb resting upon our souls?

[23:49] Friends, I read to you this evening endless blessings on the Lamb. That's when you will come to praise him. That's when you will feel endless blessings on the Lamb.

[24:04] And your heart will be broken when you feel his love. I believe that's one of the things that breaks the sinner's heart, hard, heart, barren.

[24:16] yet one blessing from the Lamb will bring us broken hearts, repeat the same, and to remember his dear heart was broken too when he bore the curse for you when he was slain, when he died on Calvary's cross.

[24:40] Endless blessings on him rest, broken hearts in him are blessed, and though they may trembling stand, have I a poor trembler here this evening? He's got an unseen hand that will uphold you.

[24:56] As the hymn says, he upholds them with his hand. The Lord is good, a stronghold, his hand is seen. This is when he upholds his dear people.

[25:08] You can't see his hand, but he's upholding you. He's supporting you under the various trials, and that trial of sin and other law.

[25:19] He helps you up to bear what you fear will be the punishment, but no, the lamb was slain, that you might escape this punishment for sin, and to escape eternal wrath.

[25:39] Worthy is the lamb that was slain. Slain. What do we know of him? This lamb of God.

[25:52] I'll say this, dear friend, we may have a good knowledge of the scripture, we may be able to repeat many portions, many texts, as it were, yet know nothing of him experimentally.

[26:11] We may have our head knowledge, but we want something different than that, as we heard this afternoon. It must be a heart religion, and we must not rest upon somebody else's religion.

[26:24] We must have a religion that comes from heaven ourselves. now is the way that leadeth unto life, few there be that find it, that these few will have a knowledge, I believe, of him, the lamb, and being slain.

[26:47] Some of you may say, I'm contradicting myself. The word says thousands of people, and yet I have said the word tells us there are few, there are few compared with the great multitude who shall be lost.

[27:10] Let me put it this way in a simple way. In that day of judgment when Christ will appear, when he will come in the clouds again, not to suffer, bleed, and die, not to be slaughtered, know, but in his fullness of glory and power come, and he then will divide the sheep and the goats.

[27:34] From the righteous, the unrighteous, no one is left, will be the number. To hear the word depart, that will be a great number compared with those on his right.

[27:49] Few there be that will be saved, looking at it from that viewpoint. And yet I believe Jesus died for thousands, saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb, worthy the lamb that was slain to receive power.

[28:12] power. Just a few thoughts here this evening. The lamb that was slain to receive power.

[28:30] We know that Jesus had power when he was here on earth. wonderful miracles he performed which manifested his power.

[28:49] He could speak and devils could be removed. He could speak to the afflicted. He spoke to the sick of the poor. He would take up thy bed and walk.

[29:01] The leper cleansed. He had power when he was here on earth. The disciples I believe my memory so fails me in these days but I believe the disciples returned from preaching and on one occasion they said to Jesus this lamb in the in the decks why couldn't we cast out devils and so on.

[29:33] Jesus did. They knew it. Why cannot we? You see there was a power in the Lord Jesus Christ and I believe he gave them a reply something like this.

[29:48] These things are done by fasting and prayer. That's the secret of it dear friends. And how the Lord Jesus went to prayer as you know day by day, night by night, on the mountain, in the garden of Gethsemane, and prayed unto his father who for these people whom he should die for.

[30:12] Yes, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast forgiven me. So we can say that the Lord Jesus had a power, strength, when he was here on earth.

[30:28] death. But our text, and I would be careful here, worthy is the man that was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory, and majesty.

[30:49] May I look at it from this viewpoint for a moment? he was slain, he died on Calvary's cross.

[31:04] friends, he was a man, he entered as it were into death, though he had that divine nature.

[31:21] Now has a lamb slain, what power has it? None at all. Now Jesus was slain, he died.

[31:34] he was carried, as it were, to the sepulcher. Now he rose, and he rose triumphant over sin, death, and hell.

[31:47] His resurrection power, now all power was given by his father unto his son.

[31:57] Now all things are in his hands, all under his control in heaven. in glory, in heaven and upon this earth.

[32:09] All things are now in his end, under his control. Worthy is the man that was slain on Calvary to receive power and riches.

[32:24] Worthy. just a thought here then, was slain to receive power, given him, he had power given him, in that day of resurrection and the power riches and wisdom and strength.

[32:46] the riches. How can we look upon this world?

[32:57] The rich provisions that he has brought to poor sinners. Now he was worthy to receive the riches and the riches I believe spoken of in the gospel he, by his power, out of his love, distributes, if I may so speak, to these dear people for whom he died for.

[33:26] There's a fullness of his eyes in Jesus our head and ever abides to answer our need. The riches of the truth, the riches of the gospel, the provisions of the gospel.

[33:38] Now he is able, as it were, to bestow upon his dear people. We have spoken of this man at times as being the father. True he is.

[33:50] He's at the table, at the head of the table of the gospel and he has all provisions on that table, rich provisions. Yes, food to eat his own flesh, those living streams, blood to cleanse, righteousness to clothe, what's lacking dear friends, on that table which is full of riches, received from the Lamb, as he is willing, as he is in his love to distribute to his dear people, travelling through the wilderness.

[34:29] And truly he is full of wisdom. We read in the eighth chapter of Proverbs of his own words, full of wisdom.

[34:40] Yes, and true he is today, full of wisdom and understanding. There's no searching to his understanding. He knows every peculiar case.

[34:54] He has wisdom, and he has the wisdom to direct the steps of his people, the steps of a good man, the steps of a good woman, or we can say the steps of a child, the Lamb of God.

[35:06] Yes, in the fold, he has wisdom to direct, not only in the things of righteousness, but also in the things of providence.

[35:19] Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and these riches, and the wisdom, and the strength, for he has strength, dear friends.

[35:30] As thy day, so shall thy strength be given by God, by the Lamb of God, for every poor pilgrim travelling along through the wilderness.

[35:43] He is our strength, he's our natural strength, he's our spiritual strength, he's the strength of our hope, he's the strength of our faith, and when we taste a little of that love of his, that will show to us, yea, its strength coming, flowing from him, unto our poor souls.

[36:04] Worthy, oh, this will be the song, I believe through eternity, with every child of his, worthy is the Lamb that was slain. Yes, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour.

[36:26] We bear before him, we trust in that spirit of reverence, and doesn't that manifest honour to his great and holy name? When we are helped to do it, when we do it in the right spirit, when we do it in the spirit of the Holy Ghost, then he receives the honour to his great name, and to the wonderful work that he has performed, even for in his life.

[36:56] Honour him in all their ways. The word tells us that we should acknowledge him in all our ways, and as we are able to do it, doesn't it bring forth honour to his glory, to his wonderful and glorious name, honour.

[37:18] And then our glory, glory was manifested. when, in the day of transfiguration, on the mount, oh the glory, so manifested as it were upon this name of God.

[37:41] Yes, the glory shone around, the glory that was upon him. Blessed be his holy name. There's a voice from heaven, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

[37:58] And those disciples, as it were, could not view him because of his greatness and his glory that shone through the land, the land was slain into their hearts.

[38:13] Wisdom and strength and honour and glory. When he passed through those river, the river of Jordan, when he was baptized by John the Baptist, oh the glory that surrounded him.

[38:29] How the Father bestowed that wonderful glory upon Christ, the Lamb of God. And when he comes again, dear friends, as I have hinted this evening, he will come in his glory.

[38:44] Yes, he will not then be seen as the babe. He will not then be seen as the lamb slaughtered. Is it where he will come in that glory?

[38:56] In glory and in his joy to gather together his dear people and to call them and to say unto them, come ye blessed my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for thee.

[39:12] Oh, the glory, glory. The glory. And if we are among his dear people whom he died for, whom he was slaughtered for, we shall see his glory.

[39:26] We shall enter into that place where glory is manifested of this dear lamb. I believe the dying thief had a little view of his glory.

[39:42] he knew he was more than a natural man when he saw him hanging on the cross. When he cried out, remember me, when thou comest into thy kingdom, he could see he was a king, he could see he was something more than a man.

[40:04] When thou comest into thy kingdom, he had some glory, some view of glory of that dear man, the glory of his agony, though he was about to breathe his last and to say it is finished, but the glory that surrounded him and blessing, truly he is worthy of the blessings from his dear people.

[40:30] But how can we bless him? How can we bless him, dear friends? He blesses his people. we hope we receive blessings from him in providence.

[40:46] We hope we receive blessings from him in grace, spiritual life. We receive blessings, I trust, from him in speaking to us words of peace, of comfort.

[41:01] Fear not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will help thee. I will strengthen thee. Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

[41:12] Fear not, I have redeemed thee. Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness, I have drawn thee. He has blessed his dear people, still continue to bless.

[41:26] And I believe we know something of the blessings that flow through these rich provisions, through the gospel, into our poor heart. But our text says, worthy is the lamb that was slain.

[41:42] To receive blessings, how can we bless one who possesses all things as it were, only in praise. And the psalmist knew it.

[41:54] He said, bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise him. His mercy endureth forever.

[42:04] bless the Lord, O my soul. And when the Lord is pleased to bless us, as I've read endless blessings on the land, pray.

[42:20] Broken hearts, repeat the same. His dear heart was broken too when he bore the curse for you. Now having a knowledge that revealed by the Spirit and the application of the love of Christ in our hearts, then we shall bless him, praise him.

[42:45] Yes, then we shall sing the doxology. Praise God for whom all blessings flow. Praise him, all creatures here below. Praise him, above ye heavenly host.

[42:57] Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. There was another hymn that seemed to come to my mind this evening. I don't know if I did turn, yes, I believe I did, no.

[43:13] It's gone from me, no, but it seemed so to take up, as it were, the text. Jesus the Lord, my Saviour is, my Shepherd and my God, my Light, my Strength, my Joy, my Bliss, and I is Grace the Court.

[43:33] Whatever I need, in Jesus dwells, and there it dwells for me, said the poet.

[43:44] Hope we shall be able to say the same. Tis Christ, my earthen vessel fills with treasures rich, rich, and free, worthy the Lamb, shall be my song, for he for me was slain, and with me all the heavenly throne, shall join and say Amen.

[44:14] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.