He Is Worthy

Scripture: Revelation 5:8--10 (KJV)

Revelation 5:8 — And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Revelation 5:9 — And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Revelation 5:10 — And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Introduction: Why Do We Come to Worship?

Brothers and sisters, I want to begin with a very simple question:

What matters most to you when you come to Sunday worship?

Sometimes we ask:

"Did I like the songs today?"
"Did the sermon move me?"
"Was the atmosphere good enough?"
"Was I comforted today?"
"Did I feel the presence of God?"

There is nothing inherently wrong with these questions. We all need comfort, and we all long to encounter God in worship. But if worship becomes only about whether I felt something or received something, then almost without noticing it, the center of worship shifts from God to me.

Some people approach worship like going to a restaurant: Did I like the food? Was the music good? Was the service satisfactory?

Others approach worship like charging a phone: I am exhausted, so I come to recharge spiritually. Once I am charged, I go home and continue living according to my own way.

But Revelation 5 shows us that heavenly worship does not begin with, "What do I need?" It begins with a declaration:

"Thou art worthy." (Rev. 5:9)

True worship does not first ask, "Lord, what can You give me today?"

True worship first confesses, "Lord, You are already worthy of my worship, my gratitude, and my life."

Revelation 5:8--10 shows us three dimensions of this worship:

1. Worship means falling down before the Lamb.
2. Worship means bringing our prayers before the throne.
3. Worship means living out the mission of a redeemed people.

I. Worship Is Not Watching a Program; It Is Falling Down Before the Lamb (5:8)

The text says:

"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints." (Rev. 5:8, KJV)

Notice the first action in the scene. It is not singing. It is not applause. It is not discussion.

The first action is falling down.

The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fall down before the Lamb.

What does falling down mean?

It means acknowledging:

He is Lord; I am not.
He is King; I am not.
He is worthy; I am called to respond.

One of the hardest things for human beings is not singing—it is bowing down. We are accustomed to putting ourselves at the center.

We want to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong.
We want to arrange our own lives.
We want to control our families.
We want to decide what is valuable and what is not.

Sometimes our mouths sing, "You are Lord," while our hearts are saying, "Lord, please do things my way."

Brothers and sisters, true worship is first a question of position, not volume.

The issue is not how loudly you sing. The issue is who sits on the throne of your heart.

The twenty-four elders have crowns representing honor, identity, and victory. Yet before the Lamb, they bow down. No crown is worth clinging to when we stand before the Lamb.

We too have our "crowns."

Some make a career their crown.
Some make their children's achievements their crown.
Some make reputation their crown.
Some make ministry results their crown.
Some even make "being more spiritual than other people" their crown.

These things are not necessarily wrong in themselves. But once they take the place that belongs to the Lamb, they become idols.

Worship means laying down those crowns and saying:

"Lord, my achievements are not my savior.
My children are not my savior.
My money is not my savior.
My ability is not my savior.
You alone are Lord."

Brothers and sisters, worship is not coming to watch a gathering.

Worship is coming to be put back in our proper place—to recognize God on the throne and ourselves as His creatures.

Application

Before you sing next time, pause and ask:

"Lord, have I come today because I want You to serve me, or because I have come to worship You?"

When we truly bow down, we discover that worship does not cause us to lose ourselves. It restores us to who we truly are.

II. Worship Does Not Leave Anxiety Trapped in the Heart; It Brings Prayer Like Incense Before the Throne (5:8)

The elders hold "golden vials full of odours," and the text immediately explains that these are "the prayers of saints."

This is precious for us.

Sometimes we pray and it seems as though nothing has happened.

We pray for our children. We pray about sickness. We pray about immigration status, work, the future of the church. We finish praying, and circumstances do not immediately change.

Then we begin to wonder:

"Lord, did You hear me?"
"Is my prayer too small?"
"Have I repeated this so often that God is tired of hearing it?"

But Revelation tells us that prayer has not disappeared.

Your prayer does not vanish into the air when you finish speaking.
Your tears are not forgotten after they fall.
Your cry does not reach the ceiling and drop back down.

In the heavenly vision, the prayers of the saints are pictured as incense held in golden vessels before the throne.

Psalm 141:2 says:

"Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense." (KJV)

Prayer, therefore, is not merely submitting requests to God. Prayer itself is worship.

What does it mean to turn anxiety into incense?

It means bringing to God what you would otherwise keep worrying about.

The person you would keep complaining about—you bring that person before God.
The problem you would keep trying to solve by yourself—you bring it before God.

Imagine a mother who worries every day about her child. She says, "I have talked to him and advised him, but he still will not listen." The more she thinks, the more anxious she becomes, until she cannot sleep.

Then she begins to pray for him every day—not only asking God to change her child, but asking God first to change her own heart. The circumstances may not change immediately, but her heart begins to become quiet. She realizes: I cannot live my child's life for him, but I can bring my child before the throne.

That is prayer.

Prayer does not pretend that there is no problem. It confesses that the problem is bigger than I am, but God is bigger than the problem.

Prayer is not the last resort of powerless people. Prayer is an act that confesses that the Lamb is worthy and that the Lamb reigns.

When you pray, you are saying:

"Lord, I cannot control this, but You see it.
I do not know what tomorrow will bring, but You hold the scroll.
I cannot change another person's heart, but You can."

So do not treat prayer only as an emergency button to press when something goes wrong.

Prayer should become part of our daily worship.

Application

This week, choose the one thing that causes you the most anxiety. Do not merely replay it in your mind, and do not only talk about it with other people. Set aside five minutes every day and deliberately give it to the Lord in prayer.

You can pray:

"Lord, this matter makes me anxious, but I do not want anxiety to sit on the throne of my heart. I bring it before Your throne. Let my prayer rise before You like incense. You are worthy to reign."

III. Worship Does Not End Inside the Church; It Lives Out the Identity of a Kingdom and Priestly People (5:9--10)

Then the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders sing a new song:

"Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Rev. 5:9--10, KJV)

Here we are told why the Lamb is worthy of worship.

He was slain.
He redeemed a people by His blood.
And He not only forgives us; He gives us a new identity and mission.

1. The Lamb Is Worthy Because He Paid the Price of Redemption

To be redeemed is to be bought back and set free.

This calls to mind the Exodus. Israel lived as slaves in Egypt, and God delivered them through the blood associated with the Passover lamb.

In the New Testament, Jesus fulfills the saving reality toward which that pattern points.

Jesus said:

"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45, KJV)

Peter also teaches that we were not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, "as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (see 1 Pet. 1:18--19).

Brothers and sisters, we are able to stand and worship today not because we are better than other people, more moral, or more diligent.

We stand because the Lamb paid the price and redeemed us from sin, shame, and bondage.

True worship therefore always carries gratitude.

When you know that you were undeserving and yet received grace, your heart begins to say:

"Lord, You are worthy!"

2. The Lamb Is Worthy Because He Redeems People from Every Nation

The text says that He redeemed people "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."

This matters deeply.

The gospel is not the cultural tradition of one ethnic group. It does not belong to one language, one background, or one social class.

The salvation of the Lamb crosses language, ethnicity, nationality, education, and social status.

In heavenly worship, no one can say, "This is my God, not yours." No one can say, "Only people like us belong here."

The Lamb has purchased a people from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

This has a particular challenge for a Chinese church. We rightly treasure the Chinese language, our culture, and the fellowship that comes from shared experience. But we must not turn the church into a circle that exists only for ourselves.

The church is the household of the Lamb, a home into which people from the nations are called.

Before His ascension, Jesus commanded His disciples to "teach all nations" (Matt. 28:19, KJV).

People who truly worship the Lamb will therefore develop a heart that looks outward.

3. The Lamb Is Worthy Because He Gives Us a Kingdom and Priestly Identity

The Lamb not only saves us from sin. Revelation 5:10 says that He makes His people kings and priests unto God.

This echoes Exodus 19:6, where God calls Israel "a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation," and 1 Peter 2:9, where believers are called "a royal priesthood" and "an holy nation."

Brothers and sisters, salvation is not merely about going to heaven someday.

Salvation gives us a new identity now.

You belong to God's kingdom.
You no longer live only for yourself.
And you have a priestly calling.

A priest stands in service before God, bringing people before Him and bearing witness to His grace in the world.

That means worship does not end when Sunday singing ends.

Worship becomes the life we live from Monday through Saturday.

When you pray for a family member who does not yet believe, you are living out this priestly calling.
When you care for a brother or sister who is weak, you are living out this priestly calling.
When you refuse to drift with the crowd at work and instead practice honesty, patience, and love, you are living out this priestly calling.
When you invite a friend to know Jesus, you are living out this priestly calling.

A person who truly worships the Lamb will not only say, "Lord, bless me."

That person will also say:

"Lord, use me."

Application: Do Three Concrete Things This Week

First, pray consistently for one person who does not yet believe. Do not pray only in general terms. Pray for that person by name each day.

Second, intentionally care for one brother or sister who is struggling. Do not merely think, "May God comfort them." Make a phone call, send a message, bring a meal, or pray with them.

Third, take one action that helps point someone toward God. Invite a friend to church, share your testimony, or speak a word of hope to someone who is discouraged.

Conclusion: The Center of Worship Is No Longer "What I Need," but "You Are Worthy"

Brothers and sisters, Revelation 5:8--10 brings us into heavenly worship.

There are harps. There are golden vessels of incense. There is a new song. There are people from the nations. And at the center stands the Lamb.

The central declaration is:

You are worthy!

You are worthy because You were slain and gave Yourself for me.
You are worthy because You redeemed me by Your blood.
You are worthy because You made me part of Your kingdom and gave me a priestly calling.
You are worthy because You do not only change my future; You change how I live today.

The next time we come to worship, may we not ask only:

"Was I moved?"

May we first ask:

"What is the Lamb worthy of receiving from me today?"

He is worthy of my gratitude.
He is worthy of my prayers.
He is worthy of my time.
He is worthy of my obedience.
He is worthy of my life.

Let us turn from:

"Lord, what will You give me?"

to:

"Lord, what are You worthy of?"

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You are the Lamb who was slain and who lives. You are worthy of power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing.

Forgive us for the many times we have placed other things on the throne of our hearts. We easily worship money, achievement, the opinions of others, our own plans, and our sense of security, instead of truly receiving You as Lord of our lives.

Lord, today we want to say again:

"You are worthy."

May what our mouths sing become what our hearts believe, and may what our hearts believe become what we live every day.

Help us trust You in anxiety, choose You in temptation, glorify You in service, and say a genuine "Amen" to You in ordinary life.

May all blessing, honor, glory, and power belong to the One seated on the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.