LORD of the Nations

​Revelation 5:8-10 ~ “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’”
 
The scroll—the title-deed to all creation—could only be opened by One hand, the LORD Jesus Christ. There in the halls of heaven the Lamb who was slain stood and received it from His Father, and will hold forever His authority as LORD of all the nations. God Almighty declares in Psalm 2:8, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” Angels of heaven and the redeemed of the LORD will bow down and worship Him. And in the end, all of creation itself will submit to the LORD Jesus Christ.
 
Let us first look at His worthiness from His work. We read in Revelation 5:9a, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God…” This grand new song comes from those who know the work of the LORD and His great sacrifice to redeem His people. They know, as do all the redeemed of the LORD, that Jesus alone is worthy. He is the One who identified fully with mankind, coming in the form of a man and willingly gave His life in payment for our sins. The work of Christ is the cross and He won the victory and has earned the right to be LORD of all. We read in Hebrews 2:9, “But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”
 
Now let us consider His work for the world. We continue reading in our text for today, Revelation 5:9b, “…by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Jesus didn’t die on the cross to show the world how to be a martyr but to open the gate for the world to be saved. And from every corner, every walk of life, every group, the LORD is calling to Himself a people for His very own. Does this mean that God will save everyone? No. It means that the LORD will save all who believe. Those who reject the LORD, who despise His sacrifice and deny His work will remain outside of His salvation. But there is no people group who is excluded from the opportunity to know His grace. We read in 1 John 2:2, “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
 
We conclude with this: Jesus saves those from the world for His worship. We read in Revelation 5:10, “And you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Jesus brings in people from every tribe, language and nation for the singular purpose of reigning with and worshiping Him. The LORD Jesus is building a Kingdom, and His citizens will each be priests before Him who will express joyful gratitude and love to the Savior who gave His life for the salvation of man. 1 Peter 2:9 declares, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Even now, Christians are to proclaim His excellence, give Him honor and stand as the testimony of His great love available to all who believe. He will receive any who will come by faith. He spoke with the woman at the well and declared, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23).
 
We see all of this revealed in Philippians 2:8-10, “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
 
Beloved, let us be those who willingly bow our knee to Jesus, exalting His name and confessing that He is LORD. He alone is worthy.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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