The Lion of the Tribe of Judah

Temple Baptist Church - 9-6-2020

Revelation 5:1-12

 

Introduction:  The Scriptures portrays Christ in several ways in chapter 5. 

 

1.  The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of Jesse hath prevailed.  Verse 5. 

 

Genesis 49:8-12  Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.  (9)  Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?  (10)  The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.  (11)  Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:  (12)  His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

 

a.  His Similarity-The Lion. 

 

1)  The lion is powerful and majestic and kingly. (Christ may be compared to one, because of his great strength, he being the mighty God, the able Saviour, and strong Redeemer, and protector of his church and people, and the avenger of their enemies)

 

2)  The lion is heralded as the King of the Jungle.  (because of his courage and intrepidity when he engaged with Satan, and his principalities and powers, when he bore the sins of his people, sustained his Father's wrath, and the terrors of death set themselves in array against him; and because of the fierceness of his wrath, and fury against the wicked, and for his generosity and lenity towards those that stoop unto him, and obey him)

 

3)  The lion has few natural enemies because of its power, speed, and ability to conquer.  (No man can withstand Christ nor stand against Christ; He conquers all who come; every circumstance or problem is under His control.)

 

4)  The lion has no comparison.  (There is not like Him and none beside Him.)

 

5)  The lion has no competition.

 

6)  The lion has no concerns.

 

Exodus 15:3  The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

 

Psalms 24:7-10  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  (8)  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.  (9)  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  (10)  Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

 

Joshua 5:13-15  And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?  (14)  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?  (15)  And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

 

b.  His Selection-Judah.  God is not a respecter of persons, but He is a respecter of nations.  His Generations, His Messianic Line the is Pronounced. 

 

1)  Throughout history, God has shown His sovereignty in election, selection, and rejection.  As Creator of all things, Sustainer of all things, and Owner of all things—these things are His by ownership and right.

 

2)  God rejected Cain and established Seth.  God rejected Esau and established Jacob.  God rejected Reuben, Simeon and Levi while establishing Judah, God rejected Saul and established David as King of Israel. 

 

3)  God has rejected some and selected others in genealogy.  God has shown His sovereignty in His selection and election of the Nation of Israel. 

 

4)  God is no respecter of Persons.

 

Acts 10:34  Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

 

Romans 2:9-11  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;  (10)  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:  (11)  For there is no respect of persons with God.

 

5)  God is a respecter of Nations.

 

Deuteronomy 7:6  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

 

Deuteronomy 14:2  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

 

Psalms 135:4  For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

 

Isaiah 44:1  Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:

 

Isaiah 46:13  I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.

 

c.  His Succession-The Root of David.

 

 

1)  Christ is the Root that bore Jesse, the father of David.  (Hidden to the natural man but illuminated to the spiritual man)

 

John 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.  (His eternality)

 

Isaiah 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.  (His humanity)

 

Isaiah 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  (His humiliation)

 

Romans 15:12  And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.  (His Kingship)

 

Revelation 22:16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

 

2)  Christ is the Righteous Branch that is born out of Jesse, the father of David.

 

John 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.  (I want to look at this verse again because it places Christ both the Root and the Branch.  Both sides of time.)

 

Isaiah 11:1-4  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:  (2)  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;  (3)  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:  (4)  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

 

Jeremiah 23:5-6  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.  (6)  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Zechariah 6:12  And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:

 

d.  His Strength-Hath Prevailed. 

 

Isaiah 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

 

John 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

 

1 John 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

 

1 John 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.