Derek Prince - What Do We Learn From The Lion Of Judah?
Now we go on to chapter 5 which is where the scroll that is really the book of Revelation is presented. It was sealed, as you know with seven seals. In those days they didn’t have printed books but they had long sheets of paper or parchment that were rolled up and every book was originally a scroll. And this chapter opens with an angel crying with a loud voice, a very strong angel. And he says: Who is worthy to open the scroll and to undo its seven seals? And no one was found worthy in all of heaven.
And I’m doing what John did. I’m weeping. No one was found worthy to open the scroll. I believe the scroll is God’s plan to close the age. One of the elders said to John: Don’t weep. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed. I want to point out to you that when Jesus became a Jew it was not just for thirty-three years. Here He is in eternity He’s still the Lion of the tribe of Judah. And Judah, is the name from which we get the word Jew; it’s directly derived from Judah.
I often think that heaven will be an embarrassing place for anti-Semites. To think about the New Jerusalem it had twelve foundations and twelve doors. And every name was a Jewish name. Furthermore the name above all other names was Yeshua. So how can you feel if you’re opposed to the Jewish people, how could you ever feel at home in the New Jerusalem? So, John is told the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed. And he looked around to see expecting to see, I’m sure, a very strong, fierce, warlike lion. And what did he see? A lamb, looking as if it had been slain.
I cannot overcome that revelation. The strength of God is not in physical strength, it’s not in human strength, it’s in a broken spirit. It’s a humble life. Brethren, if you want God’s power, don’t climb upwards, bend downwards. The great evangelist Moody once said: When I was a young Christian I thought that God kept His gifts on shelves and the best gifts were on the highest shelves and I would have to reach up. But he said: I learned later the best gifts are on the lowest shelves I had to stoop down.
I’d like to read to you just a passage from 1 Corinthians. Chapter one, Verse 25. Paul says: The foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men. So the things that seem foolish to the natural mind and the things that seem weak, are the things in which God invests His wisdom and His strength. And Paul was undoubtedly talking about the cross when he spoke about the foolishness of God and the weakness of God. What is weaker than a crucified man? What is more foolish than to allow your Son to be crucified in front of a jeering crowd?
I don’t know whether you’ve ever noticed this God has never corrected that impression. Jesus was never revealed alive afterwards except to witnesses chosen before God. As far as the world is concerned the last they ever saw of Him was a corpse on a cross. God did nothing to correct that impression. The weakness of God is stronger than men the foolishness of God is wiser than men. 2 Timothy chapter 2. I feel this is a lesson of tremendous importance to the contemporary church and especially the leadership.
2 Timothy chapter 2, Verse 11–12: For this is a faithful saying for if we died with him we shall also live with him. If we endure we shall also reign. See, I have a series that I preached years ago that had the title: The Way Up Is Down. The higher you want to go, the lower you have to start. Jesus said every one who exalts himself shall be abased. And every one who humbles himself shall be exalted. And in Philippians chapter 2 after speaking about the humiliation of Jesus: "To the ultimate, not merely to death, but to death on the cross", the next word that Paul uses is: therefore, "Therefore God has also highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name".
You see the therefore? Why was Jesus exalted? Not because He was a favorite son but because He met the conditions And I want to say to each one of you, dear children of God, if you want to be exalted, come down. The lower down you come, the higher God will place you.
Today I see in the church such aggressive self promotion, so much personal ambition. I was thinking for two or three years the real problem in the church today is in the ministry, and it's personal ambition. But I thought to myself I can’t find a Scripture for that. So I won’t say it. Then God showed me that was the problem of satan himself, Lucifer. He wanted equality with God, he moved to promote himself and he was thrown down. And dear brothers and sisters, everyone who seeks to promote himself will ultimately be abased.