Revelation 5 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

² And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

³ And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

⁴ And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

⁵ And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

⁶ And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

⁷ And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

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.

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;

¹⁰ And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

¹¹ And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

¹² Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

¹³ And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

The lion of the tribe of Judah became the lamb that was slain for the salvation of the world.  Could there be any greater dichotomous personality than Christ.  He was humbled and born in a manger that He might be highly exalted above all.  We often say that the greatest heroes are those with very complex diverse personalities.  Yet, all human heroes pale in comparison to Jesus Christ. He embodied the perfection of all the best qualities despite their extreme diversity. Jonathan Edwards named these “diverse excellencies” and so perfectly described these characteristics of Christ in his sermon “The Admirable Conjunction of Diverse Excellencies in Christ Jesus” which I would highly recommend that you read it. The lion of the tribe of Judah who became the sacrificial lamb as depicted in Revelations 5. He, Christ, is the only one of the triune God-head filled with all majesty, power, dominion, and righteousness equal with God the Father who at the same time became flesh as a man to die and pay the price that Justice demanded. (Philippians 2: “Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ”) For that reason Christ is the only one who can open the scrolls of judgment. So in His diverse excellences, He is perfect judge—respecting every law and carrying out the just penalty of the law with all its wrath and fury; while at the same time being perfect mercy and grace by accepting the full power of God’s wrath toward sin on Himself so that those who would accept His gift would be made righteous through faith. He is God in all his Holiness, Power, and Might. Yet, He chose to leave heaven with all its beauty to obediently come to earth in poverty, knowing that he would be rejected and ridiculed. The sea and the wind obeyed His voice. He raised Lazarus from the dead, healed the lepers, drove out demons; yet, He chose to die a cruel, humiliating death without opening His mouth except to ask the Father to forgive those who nailed Him to the cross. He was a man of great sorrow; yet, filled with Joy. He who “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1: 1-3. This same Christ bowed down in reverence and obedience to the Father. He was royalty who chose to live in poverty among the “untouchables” and outcasts. He was perfect wisdom, who taught and still teaches with great patience a bunch of slow learners such as ourselves. He hated sin and all its effects on man; yet, He loved the sinner enough to offer to take His place. On this subject, I could go on writing for a lifetime and never complete the list of diverse Excellencies which are found in Christ Jesus. There was never one so worthy to receive only good; yet, so willing to patiently endure suffering and pain for our sake.

Many people who have not even come to accept Him as their Savior; still, see Christ and His life as inspirational.  But the greatest, ultimate inspiration can only occur when one begins to see “though a glass dimly” the magnitude of His Glory.  When we catch a glimpse of that beauty, the complete holiness of His character, and thus see a spark of that Glory which is only His; we must shudder at our own inadequacies.  Our petty desires that the creature be more important than the creator glares back at us in the mirror.  Our foolish, vain attempts to be or do anything of worth (in our own effort) lay before us like bags of rubbish with such foul stench that we are unable to bear the odor.  As we begin to see our utter worthlessness before this Majestic God; we fall before Him, in worship.  We must cry forth; “Holy, Holy, Holy…Lord God Almighty; Creator of Heaven and Earth.”  It is in that moment that we understand He is worthy of our Praise; even if He gave us nothing in return but the eternal damnation that we so rightly deserve.  There at that place do we cry out for the Mercy our pride-filled, arrogant, selfish hearts finally broken in despair to realize how foolish we are to desire anything more than we desire His presence or to look upon His face for an eternity.  It is there that, Christ reaches down to say; “Come my child; I have paid the price for you.  I desire that you come with me to share in my love, the love my Father has for me shall be yours.  The Glory that is mine shall be yours.  The Joy that is mine shall be yours.  I took all your sin and all your guilt.  I will clothe you with my righteousness forevermore.  Yet, a little while and you shall be with me.”  Such amazing love, undeserved then becomes the ultimate inspiration to drive the rest of your life.  Such foolish creatures that we are, even then, we forget at times and we go about seeking our own desires and ever so gently He watches as we fall down.  There He is to remind us that from that first moment that we chose Him; He never lets us go.  He teaches us, loves us, and transforms us into someone who can one day see His Glory fully and share in that Glory.

If you wish to hear more about the paradoxes that make up Christmas, Christ, and the Christian life; I would recommend this sermon by Michael Youssef at  http://www.leadingtheway.org/web/guest/home;jsessionid=A4568C70E870AC57A26A615BB7A0EC96

A copy of the sermon by Jonathan Edwards entitled, "The Admiral Conjunction of Diverse Excellencies in Christ Jesus" can be located at

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/admirable.html

The following video worth watching…

^{Psalm 34: 17} The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸ The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

Psalm 51: ¹⁶ For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

¹⁸ Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Once upon a time there was a girl who somehow grew up believing that her worth depended in part upon finding someone who would love her.  She prayed that God would send her that perfect husband who would forever stand beside her.  In her mixed up and confused theology she believed that if she worked hard enough and tried harder to please God, the proof of her having won God’s favor was that he would grant her this one wish.  Her path led her down many roads that led to her only having a broken heart.  She found the one she loved so dearly and withstood whatever hardships the marriage brought to win her husband’s love and when that had finally happened, he died and she was left broken.  At times she compromised God’s laws and so easily excused it in the name of love and believing perhaps that was the best that God had for her and that she would never be good enough for more.   One day she cried out to God. "Why Lord if I love you, do you keep breaking my heart?  Then there in that moment she realized, that it was not God breaking her heart; rather, she was breaking God’s heart.  Christ wept every time she believed He was not enough.  He had been there to shower His love upon her every step of the way.  Much like Christ when he went to raise Lazarus from the dead.  He had come with the greatest gift, He was overwhelmed with excitement at the miracle that He was about to perform.  Yet, when He arrived, all were mourning and none believed He was enough. When He asked, "Do you believe, I am the resurrection of life?"; they mumbled theology with a sad countenance, Oh, yes we know that one day you will resurrect; but where were you when my brother died.  Then Christ wept.  That girl was me. The miraculous thing was that the moment I realized the fact that it had been I breaking God’s heart and not He breaking mine; my life changed.  For the first time, I really began to understand just how tremendously God does love me and that He is more than enough. That was what led me to write the book "A Broken and Contrite Heart".  When I laid all my sins, my failures, my guilt, and my moments of faithlessness at His feet; His answer was "I love you."  When I had come to the end of my trying to work so hard to please Him and to earn His love, I began to learn how to let Him live in and through me.  He never needed me to earn His love, He loved me just as I was.  Through His love He was transforming me into the Princess He knew I could be if I only learned how to Abide in Him.

So, why do I tell you this story?  Because everyday I meet people who are hurting?  I see people struggling to find their way.  I see people with broken hearts searching for love in all the wrong places.  I see Christians who are carrying huge burdens of guilt that weigh them down.  Christ is standing there with open arms of love to heal them and to deliver them. 

 

A TALK WITH GOD

Oh, let me Lord delight in You

And lay all else I hold aside

For no desire could mean as much

As hear Your voice, to feel your touch

And in Your arms abide

 

I feel the safety of your arms

Surrounding me throughout each storm

And when the bitter winter wind

Would bid my very spirit bend

Your breath will keep me warm

 

Forgive me Lord, this fragile heart

Sometimes desires too much

Forgetting You are all I need

Then comes my tears, my plead

To stop and feel Your touch

 

I then can hear your gentle laugh

The love within Your voice

“My child I love you evermore

My gifts on you I freely pour

The best for you my choice”

 

Oh, Lord I want to stay right here

And sit here at Your feet

To never step away from You

And then I cannot lose my view

No chance for fear, defeat

 

“But child I ask then who would go

To tell the wounded broken heart

That I their lonely heart would mend

If not but you, who can I send

If you refuse to start”

 

Then Father, Dear, I must say yes

To go and run Your bidding do

And You will cast aside my fears

Your hand will wipe away my tears

And keep my eyes on You

 

I know that You go with me now

You’re ever present in my heart

I feel Your joy arise within

I feel Your wondrous strength again

Your love will ne’er depart

 

Psalm 32: ¹⁰ Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.

¹¹ Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Are you joyful today?  Do you Joy in the Lord regardless of circumstances?  Do you fight to hold onto that joy by denouncing evil thoughts in your heart, by reminding yourself daily of what He has done for you, and by recognizing with determination to lay down your desires for counterfeit joys?   Do you see Him as your ultimate joy and seek Him with all your heart? 

Let me give you this thought from Jonathan Edwards as he said it so well.  “The enjoyment of [God] is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. But God is the ocean” wrote Jonathan Edwards. Paul the Apostle knew this and knew that he was to spread that same joy (even when he was a prisoner for the sake of spreading the gospel)  as he wrote; Philippians 1: “²¹For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²²But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. ²³For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: ²⁴Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. ²⁵And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; ²⁶That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.”

Let me end with this quote from Jonathan Edwards so that you might ponder on it and take it up as your moto.

“God’s purpose for my life was that I have a passion for God’s glory and that I have a passion for my joy in that glory, and that these two are one passion.”
― Jonathan Edwards

What is your passion today? 

Isaiah 46 (NIV) 8

“Remember this, keep it in mind,
take it to heart, you rebels.
⁹ Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’
¹¹ From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned, that I will do.
¹² Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted,
you who are now far from my righteousness.
¹³ I am bringing my righteousness near,
it is not far away;
and my salvation will not be delayed.

God is in Control and Reigns Sovereign over all the earth.  Do you really believe that?  Do I really hold tight to that truth?  Do we question it when we hear of such tragedies as Hurricane Sandy, 911, or the tornado that ripped through Joplin?  Do you believe that God could have spoken one word and the storm would have obeyed?  Yet, since He reigns sovereign over all the earth, why didn’t He stop these tragedies from occurring and why does He allow storms in my own life?  Did He not also say?  John 3:16 (AMP) ^{16 "}For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (^[a]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life"   Do you believe that God loves you?  Do you believe that He reigns in sovereignty over all the events in your life?  Did He not say Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV) "²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.^{[a] 30} And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."   If the hairs of your head are numbered and He knows when each one falls out, how intimately does He rule over the minutest details of your life!!! He also said in Romans 8:"²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.³⁰ Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."  Do you really believe that?  God is Sovereign,  God loved mankind so much that He was willing to pay the penalty for man’s rebellious heart at a tremendous cost to Himself, and only God knows what part those storms play in His bringing His righteousness and His Salvation near.  Do you trust Him with the storms in your own life?  Do you say, Lord You reign supreme, what gift are you delivering to me in this storm?  Is it faith you are growing up?  Is it hope that you want to grow in my life? Is there some chaff that needs to be sifted out of my life?   Do you want me to find my Joy in You?  No matter what I will trust you–because You, God are in Control.  You will accomplish all that You have planned.

 

Romans 5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

² By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

³ And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

⁴ And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

⁵ And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

This is the Gospel–the good news that came to mankind. While we were yet sinners so deserving of the wrath of God against sin, Christ came and died that we might be justified before a righteous and just God.  Christ paid the price.  If I do not see God’s Righteousness, His Glory, His Sovereignty, and His Justice then I can never understand the cost.  God justly hates sin with a wrath that is described as a consuming fire. (Romans 12: 29)   The sin within our covetous hearts separates from God and the gifts He so desires to give to us which are His Joy, His Love, and to one day share in His Glory.  The only way we can approach Him is through righteousness of which I have none of my own.  All my works are but filthy rags before a perfectly Holy God.  Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."  There would be no hope were it not for Christ’s death and resurrection.  He took upon Himself all the furious wrath Isaiah 53: "⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."  Yet, Christ’s payment is the only hope that we might have peace with God.  We may stand before the throne of God (the Creator of all the Universe) covered by Grace which can only be ours through faith in Jesus Christ.  Yet, not only is our sin atoned for and we no longer are under the wrath of God, we are now freed to fulfill that which was our purpose.  We may now enjoy an intimate personal relationship with God which is the greatest Joy we could ever know.  We can sing and dance praises because we are showered with His Overflowing Love.  We will one day stand before Him transformed into His Image and Share the Glory which is God’s Glory.  2 Corinthians 3:

^18” But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. “ That Glory which we are changed into will only point back to Christ and we will stand to sing, "All Glory Be to Christ"

http://marshill.bandcamp.com/track/all-glory-be-to-christ