THE COMING KING
The Lamb Who Was Slain
Day 39 Wednesday
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EXPLORE THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST
For us there is one God, the Father,
from whom are all things and for whom we exist,
and one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom are all things and through whom we exist (1 Corinthians 8: 6).
REVELATION 5: 6-14
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,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
CONSIDER
In his Revelation, John wrote that he saw a door left open in heaven. He was allowed to look into the realm beyond and see to the heart of reality. There he saw the throne of God surrounded by mighty angelic beings who worship unceasingly. But as he looked, John saw a drama unfolding. There was a scroll to be opened. It symbolized the future of God’s dealings with his world. It contained the destiny of humankind. But no one in heaven or on earth was found worthy to open the scroll, which would mean determining the future. But then there stepped forward a Lamb. But the Lamb was literally a walking contradiction. He stood. Yet he appeared slain. He reigned. Yet he bore wounds of sacrifice. The Lamb alone was worthy to open the scroll: to create the future for mankind that God had planned. This Lamb who was slain is of course Jesus who died and rose, Jesus who is God and man, who is sacrifice and Lord. This plan of the Triune God to save us by entering the world as one of us and giving away his life for unworthy sinners is so original, so surprising, so glorious that angelic holy beings sing of it into eternity.
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PRAY THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
Begin with the Jesus Prayer. Pray it reflectively several times, for yourself or on behalf of another.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Then pray the day’s prayer slowly and repeatedly for at least a minute (that’s about seven times). Allow the prayer to take you into the meaning of the day’s facet of Jesus’ name. Pray it for yourself and/or on behalf of another. Take your time and trust this process!
Lord Jesus Christ, you stand as the Lamb who was Slain but lives as present and future Lord. Bring all things into submission to you.
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LIVE INTO THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
He has granted to us his precious and very great promises,
so that through them you might become partakers of his divine
nature . . . For this very reason, supplement your faith with
virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness,
brotherly affection and love (2 Peter 1: 4-7).
ROMANS 14: 7-9
For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
CONSIDER
The Lamb who was slain, the Lamb who stands as King, is our purpose. He has opened the new and living way for us. He is the way and the goal. Consider how Paul drives this foundational insight straight into moment by moment decisions: Christ died and lived again. Therefore, we live and die, in every moment, unto the Lord. His huge story catches up our little daily story every second of the day.
Close by singing the words of Matthew Bridges vision of the Lamb who was slain:
Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne:
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own!
Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee,
And hail him as thy matchless King thru all eternity.
Crown him the Lord of love, behold his hands and side—
Rich wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight,
But downward casts a burning eye at mysteries so bright.
Matthew Bridges. Crown Him with Many Crowns. 1851.
LISTEN TO TODAY'S HYMN
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