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The Top 5 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die // Reason 3: Ransom People from Every Tribe and Language and People and Nation // Revelation 5:9

Mary Ellen Ermis April 2, 2023 sermons, cityrise, Crosspoint Church - Bellaire, houston, Revelation, Roger Patterson, The Top 5 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die,

The following is a manuscript of the sermon presented by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023 at our Crosspoint Church-Bellaire campus. To view the sermon in full, check out the link below.

One of my favorite movies of all time is “What About Bob,” starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss.
Dreyfuss, playing Dr. Leo Marvin, is an amazing psychotherapist, who has a brand new book out called Baby Steps.

Just before his vacation in Lake Winnapasake, New Hampshire, Dr. Marvin sees a patient, Bob Wiley, played by Bill Murray, who is bound up with fear upon fear.  When he learns that Dr. Marvin will be on vacation for an entire month, Bob decides to track him down and invade his life.  He is that dependent upon his new therapist.

After dinner at Dr. Marvin’s home one evening, a fierce storm develops, and Bob has to spend the night with the Marvins.  Dr. Marvin’s 12 year old son, Sigmond, also called Siggy, befriends Bob, and they room together that evening.

As they are staring into the dark trying to fall asleep, Siggy, says to Bob, “Bob, are you afraid of death?”

This young man, who always dresses in black, is himself bound by all sorts of fear. He then says, “I am going to die!  And you are going to die!  We are all going to die!  What’s the point?”

Sigmund expresses a fatalism that death is upon us all and that death is on the way.

And if we are honest, death is our biggest problem, and not knowing our eternal destiny can cause great anxiety.

As we head to Easter Sunday, next week, we have been asking the simple question, “Why did Jesus come to die?”

That’s the story of the Christian faith, isn’t it? That’s the gospel message – Jesus died for our sins. And in hearing that, and reading that on the pages of Scripture, it’s so helpful to ask the simple question: WHY?

Why did Jesus come to die for our sins?

Here is what we have been learning.

The Top 5 Reasons Why Jesus Came To Die

#5: To Show the Wealth of God’s Love and Grace for Sinners

#4: To Cancel the Legal Demands of the Law Against Us

#3: To Ransom People from Every Tibe and Language and People and Nation

On Thursday, we will celebrate a memorial meal that looks back at the Passover, that connects the old covenant with the new covenant promised by the prophet Jeremiah, and that also looks forward to a great banquet in heaven!  I’ll hope you will join us for our Maundy Thursday service at our West U Campus at 7 pm. Or join us for the livestream, on our YouTube channel.

Today, we are going to look at this third reason why Jesus came to die.

The Top 5 Reasons Why Jesus Came To Die

#5: To Show the Wealth of God’s Love and Grace for Sinners

#4: To Cancel the Legal Demands of the Law Against Us

#3: To Ransom People from Every Tibe and Language and People and Nation

And it comes directly from Revelation 5:9-10.

Revelation 5:9-10

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,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

Now, let me set the scene. This is the throne room of heaven.

God the Father is seated on the throne and the 24 elders are seated around the throne. And in the Father’s right hand is a scroll. Many believe that this scroll is declaring what will unfold, and tension is developed because as John looks around, no one is found who is able to open the scroll.

Look at this scene in heaven with me.

Revelation 5:1-10

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 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,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

So, this Lion of the Tribe of Judah…this Lamb standing before the throne…This one was able to open the scroll.

But notice two things with me for a moment:

First – No one in heaven, earth, or under the earth was found…except this one. And when he steps up to take the scroll from the Father, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb…and they sang a song of worship.

Second – Notice what is in that song…

Revelation 5:9-10

“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,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

  1. Worth – Worthy are you to take the Scroll – v. 9
  2. You were slain
  3. By your blood, you RANSOMED PEOPLE for GOD.
  4. These People are Made int a Kingdom and Priests to God – He changes our identity.

The message of this praise song that has broken out in the throne of heaven is that:

He is Worthy of Worship because of:

  1. Who Jesus is
  2. What Jesus has done

I. He is Worthy because of Who Jesus Is!

Look with me at Revelation 5:5-6.

Revelation 5:5-6

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Remember, He is Worthy because of who Jesus is. And notice who he is.

There are THREE TITLES given to Jesus here in these two verses.

Jesus is the:

  • Lion of the tribe of Judah
  • The Root of David
  • The Lamb
  1. The Lion of the tribe of Judah declares JESUS as KING.

In Genesis 49:9-10, we see these words.

Genesis 49:9-10

Judah is a lion’s cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Here, Jacob prophetically gave the scepter to the tribe of Judah and made it the tribe of Kings.  King David was from the tribe of Judah and God made a covenant with David that he would have a descendant on the throne of all eternity.

Warren Wiersbe says, “The image of ‘The Lion’ speaks of dignity, sovereignty, courage and victory.  Jesus Christ is the only living Jew who can prove His kingship from the genealogical records.  ‘Son of David’ was a title often used when he was ministering on earth.”

So, Jesus is called the Lion of Judah!  He is the king from the tribe of Judah, who is a descendant of David and will sit on His throne forever.

John Piper says…

What sort of Lion was he? He was a Lamb-like Lion. The Lion of Judah conquered because he was willing to act the part of a Lamb. He came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday like a King on the way to a throne, and he went out of Jerusalem on Good Friday like a Lamb on the way to the slaughter. He drove out the robbers from the Temple like a Lion devouring its prey. And then at the end of the week he gave his majestic neck to the knife, and they slaughtered the Lion of Judah like a Lamb. So, he conquered sin and death and Satan not just because he was a Lion, but because he was a Lamb-like Lion.

But he is also called the Root of David.

  1. The Root of David Declares Jesus as being Before all time: The word Root means that it is the origin or starting point.  Being the Root of David, John is making it clear that Jesus is the one who brought David and David’s line into existence.

Wiersbe says, As far as His humanity is concerned, Jesus had his roots in David; but as far as His deity is concerned, Jesus is the Root of David.  This speaks to our Lord’s eternality; He is indeed the Ancient of Days.

The book of John opens with these words.

John 1:1-4

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Jesus is the eternal one, in whom all things were made and are held together.  He is the origin of David’s line, but also a descendant of David’s line.  John 1:9-10 states…

John 1:9-10

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

Do you see who he is?  He is worthy to ransom us because he is a KING!  He is Sovereign!  He is in Control! He is ETERNAL, yet he became a man.

He is also called the LAMB. John looks up from his weeping, expecting to see a Lion…but he beholds a lamb.

  1. The LAMB declares that Jesus was Sacrificed for our sins.

Look at Revelation 5:6.

Revelation 5:6

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Jesus is the LAMB.

Jesus is called the LAMB 28 times in the Book of Revelation.  This theme of the LAMB must not be missed.

LAMB – The term Lamb, literally means little pet lamb. You see, the sacrificial lamb was to be a year old.  It wasn’t to be full grown or mature, but a yearling.

The little lamb was innocent. Further, it had to be unblemished.  So, the ritual sacrifice was a clear picture for those who participated.  It was the innocent, unblemished one who was offered as a substitute in the place of the unclean sinner.  For without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.

And here, Jesus, the Lamb, is shown with 7 HORNS, 7 EYES and 7 Spirits.

The NUMBER 7 in Scripture represents PERFECTION.

  • A Horn Represents POWER…So, 7 HORNS = Perfect POWER.
  • An EYE Represents SEEING with WISDOM…So, 7 EYES = Perfect WISDOM.
  • A Spirit Represents PRESENCE… So, 7 Spirits Represents Perfect Presence.

So, in Jesus, we have the Perfect LAMB who is PERFECT in POWER, WISDOM, and PRESENCE.

Theologians would say, He is OMNIPOTENT for Perfect POWER.  He is OMNISCIENCT for PERFECT WISDOM and OMNIPRESENT for PERFECT PRESENCE.

You see, you who are tuned in today—you who are devout followers of Jesus, our you, who are curious about Jesus, or you who are skeptical about Jesus – you need to grasp and understand that the Bible puts before us a Savior – a LAMB – who is:

  • A King
  • Eternal – the one who was and is and is to come
  • All Powerful
  • All Knowing
  • Ever Present

He’s not some Mamby-Pamby, Timid, Weak, Soft Teacher.

  • He is the LION!
  • He is the ROOT!
  • He is the LAMB!

Piper says…“…This is no ordinary Lamb. He is a Lion-like Lamb. Look at 6:16 where men call to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” And look at 17:14 where the final enemies of God fight against Christ: “they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings.” In other words, he is a Lion-like Lamb.[1]

[1] John Piper, “Christ: The Lion and the Lamb,” desiringgod.org

That’s WHO HE IS!

And He is Worthy to Ransom Us because of what HE HAS DONE.  HE went LOW!…who Humbled himself! … who…made himself nothing, to pay a ransom price to destroy Death and give us life.

That’s the Second thing I want you to see this Palm Sunday…

He is Worthy of Worship because of:

  1. Who Jesus is
  2. What Jesus has done

II. He is Worthy Because of What He Has Done!

So, what has he done?

Let’s look at Revelation 5:9-10 again.

Revelation 5:9-10

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,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

What does the Bible repeatedly testify that Jesus did?

He was SLAIN.

The word Slain means to be killed for sacrificial purposes.

He was slain.  He was sacrificed.  And the blood sacrifice had a profound effect.  What is it?

            By your blood you ransomed people for God form every nation, tribe and language and people.

From the Very Beginning of the Story, God was delivering the people Israel that he might:

  • Give them a law
  • and a land
  • so that from Abraham might come ONE who would bless all of the nations.
  • That was the promise in the beginning. The Covenant with Abraham is in Genesis 12:1-3.

Genesis 12:1-3

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Do you see that promise?  To bless all the families of the earth?

Through Jesus’ sacrifice as the LAMB, people from all nations will be ransomed.

The word RANSOM means —  To obtain by purchase, to rescue, to set free, to redeem.

Friends, the blood of JESUS paid a price that I could not pay, and you could not pay, to set us free from bondage to sin and to death.  You see, his BLOOD sacrifice removed my sin and your sin, when you put your faith in him.

But that’s not all HE did.

Look at Revelation 5:6.

Revelation 5:6

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Notice what it says.  I saw a LAMB STANDING, as though it had been slain.

Do you see it?  The Slain LAMB was STANDING!  That is so cool!

Romans 6:9 says…

Romans 6:9

 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

The SLAIN LAMB was STANDING!  Death No longer has Dominion over him!

DEATH IS BROKEN! HELL IS DEFEATED!

Application: My Friends, I have good news for you.  When you put your faith, not in your good works, but in HIS work—His death on the Cross and His Resurrection from the dead—for the salvation of your soul, you are promised this SAME RESURRECTION.

Romans 6:5 says…

Romans 6:5

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

We shall receive a resurrection like his!  It’s the BEST DEAL GOING!

And God, who loves you, extends this offer of:

  • peace with him,
  • of peace of heart and mind,
  • of forgiveness of sin,
  • and of everlasting life

But that is not all…

Notice verse 10 of this great praise song in the throne room of heaven.

Revelation 5:10

and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

Do you see what Jesus has done?

He takes people from all over the world…from every language, nation, tribe, and tongue…and do you see what He has done and is doing, and will do with us all?

He makes us into a KINGDOM! And we are PRIESTS to God.

He gives us a new identity and responsibility before God.

Now, I’m going to offer you a bit of commentary about how we have been trained to think in America.

We have been and are being trained to think BLACK and WHITE; We are toss the word RACISM around constantly. The accusation is levied with no evidence or regard of how painful an accusation that is.

We are trained to look at what divides us.

And if that is what you are looking for in the church, I’m concerned you aren’t reading your bible.

This is the beauty of the gospel: Jesus’ death reconciles the races. He takes that which is divided and tears down the wall between us all.

Ephesians 2:14

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility… 

We have to think biblically…

We aren’t white Christians and black Christians and Asian Christians or Latino Christians.

We are Christians who happen to be White or Latino or African American or Asian.

I’m sorry if this offends you. I’m just asking you to not think like the world has trained you to think, but instead to think biblically.

I’m a Christian…and then I’m a priest to God. – My identity is changed and my responsibility is changed.

A priest is a servant of the Lord’s.

So, how I understand my identity has changed and what I do because of that identity motivates me to serve my brother or sister that is different from me.

  • It motivates me to listen to their plight.
  • It motivates me to serve them in their pain and stand with them in their pain.

Because, here is what is true: Their pain is found in the fact that much of our world system is set against them. There is a bias. There is a racism from the world. There are those who are oppressed and those who oppress.

Because we are brothers and sisters and priests to God, we should extend concern.

Our identity drives our ministry and is heart for the nations is paramount.

John Piper says…”God has a heart for the nations; he is busy redeeming the nations to himself. As John Piper says in his book Let the Nations Be Glad, “God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshippers for himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an exhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of his name among the nations”.

God is gathering joyful worshippers for himself, blessing them and using that blessing to impact the nations. If we are to live in light of eternity, we constantly have to reorient ourselves to God’s agenda. We need to orientate the role we play in his agenda to redeem the nations. Otherwise, if you are anything like me, you might just believe that God’s global priority is to make us comfortable. Or believe that God has redeemed us for ourselves and our families.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord turn his face upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord turn his countenance upon you and give you peace!