Obedience to the Lamb of God
Summary
The Lamb in the Center of the Throne
This chorus is in my heart during the preparation time for this sharing. It was 1994 when we first
attended the Christian Family Conference. I still remembered the first time we were here. The brothers
and sisters sang this chorus from their hearts. We never heard of this chorus before. I didn’t even know
the words are from the book of Revelation. There was such indescribable worship of the Lord together.
It was wonderful.
Lord’s willing; it will be the twentieth time this summer. Nineteen years are not a short time. There were
many changes. Outwardly, there are a lot of difficulties. Inwardly, the Lamb is more worthy day by day.
This is not only my testimony, but this is also the testimony of many brothers and sisters.
The worthiness of the Lamb never changes. It is the revealing of the Lamb by the Father and our
receiving of such revelation that make the difference. The Lamb becomes more worthy to us as the
more we know of the Lamb according to God’s heart. It is in this spirit that we share on this matter of
the Lamb. We must go behind the scene, so to speak, go way back to God’s beginning in creation, go
way back to the counsel of God, to see what God said about the Lamb.
Revelation 7:17a for the Lamb in the center of the throne …
Philippians 2:6-11 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing
to be grasped, (7) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the
likeness of men. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (9) Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and
bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE
SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, (11) and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 2
Philippians 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
Revelation 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made
ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
Introduction
(Revelation 1:3) Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the
things which are written in it; for the time is near.
We must read every book in the Bible. As we read the word we should ask the Father to reveal His Son
in our spirit. The book of revelation is special as it is the last book of the Bible. It is the book of
consummation. Its title is the revelation of Jesus Christ. It sums up the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The time is near. The return of the Lord is imminent. Our hearts must be opened to the revelation that
is contained in this book. We need to hear the words of the prophecy; we need to look earnestly to all
that is revealed in this book. Prophecy is the speaking forth of God’s heart. In the American Standard
Version, “heed the things” is rendered as “keep the things”. It is not entering into one ear and exiting
the other ear. It is the holding on in our hearts what is uttermost in God’s heart.
I did mention last time that the word “the Lamb” is mentioned over 20 times in the book of Revelation.
In the New Testament, the other two occurrence of “the Lamb” is in the gospel of John. This certainly
means as we read the book of Revelation we should behold “the Lamb”.
Outline
Firstly, we share that the Lamb is God’s rightful King. There is a battle raging over ages, and that battle
is the battle of who occupies the throne. The battle rages before the creation of world and continues
unto the coming of the Lord. It is the battle of who has dominion over the universe. The Lamb won the
war and He is now in the center of the throne.
Secondly, in position, the church is also seated with the Lamb in the throne. In order for believers to
serve the Lord in this world we must arrive at the throne in experience. I will share the path of the Lamb
to the throne, and we must walk the same path. I will use the believers in the early dates after the Lord’s
resurrection as an example of how they did have the mindset of Jesus. The church was persecuted. “But
the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied” (Acts 12:24)
Lastly, there is a word of warning on how crafty the natural is! The natural man can’t obey God. Hence
the natural man can never arrive at God’s throne. King Saul is a good example to illustrate how the
natural man is rejected by God as king. I will also share a dealing that I have regarding to disobedience
that could be an exhortation to other.
(1a) The Lamb is God’s King3
(Revelation 7:17a) for the Lamb in the center of the throne …
Today we center on a segment of the Rev. 7:17a. According to Vine’s New Testament Dictionary, throne
is the seat of authority. Throne is something neutral. It is the person who is in throne that impacts our
livelihood. There can be only one King in the throne of our hearts. When the Lord is accepted as the
King, there would be abundant provisions and protection from the one who reigns and rules over all
things. When the Lord is rejected as King, there would be confusion, destruction, and desolation, as the
time we are in today.
1 Samuel 8:7
(7) The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for
they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.
We associate the king with the throne. The nation of Israel had a long history of kings. Do you recall
King Saul? He was the first man chosen by the people to be king. What a mistake that was! Before Saul,
God was their King. The people rejected God as their King (1 Sam 8:7).
We expect it is the king who is in the throne. Instead of a king, John saw the Lamb in the center of the
throne. There are nine verses (Rev 3:21; 5:6,13; 6:16; 7:9, 10, 17; 22:1,3) in the book of Revelation
implying the Lamb is in the Throne. We often think that a king answers to no one. Here we have the
King who answers to His Father. He is the Lamb of God, and because of that God makes Him King over
all things. We know Him as the Lamb of God, and more so, we need to know Him as God’s King. Christ is
forever the Lamb and the King. He is the Lamb/King. Praise Him.
(1b) the Battle of Who Occupies the Throne
Today there are a lot of tumults in the world, particular in the Middle East, in North Africa, in Asia, and
in many other places. In this country there are so much violence and lawlessness, and the steep
declining of moral standards. Are they merely independent incidents? I am afraid not. Psalms 2:1-2
“Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? (2) The kings of the earth take
their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,” .
There is a spirit behind all these, and that spirit is really against God and against His Anointed. His
Anointed is His Son whom John saw as the Lamb in the center of the throne. There is a battle for
ascendency or authority or who sits in the center of the throne.
Isaiah 14:12-14” "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have
been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! (13) "But you said in your heart, 'I
will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of
assembly In the recesses of the north. (14) 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make
myself like the Most High.'”
The conflict is not new. We learn from Is 14:12-14, even before the creation of man, there was an angel
who craved for the honor, the power, and the authority that are vested in the throne. The battle of the
throne has been going on even before the creation of man.
Colossians 1:16 for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and
things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created
through him, and unto him;
We shared last time that the universe and man were created for the pleasure of His Son. Everything is
created in the Son, through the Son, and unto the Son (Col 1:16). His Son is the rightful owner of the
creation, and He should have dominion over all things.
(Genesis 1:26) Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them
rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
(Genesis 1:28) God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and
subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that
moves on the earth."
Man was created according to God’s image and likeness. Man was created not only for His Son’s
pleasure, but also the Son wanted to share His dominion with the created man. According to Gen 1:26
man was given the authority to rule over everything on this earth. Not only this, according to Gen 1:28,
it was God intention to use man to subdue His enemy.
(Genesis 3:24) So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the
cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
(Colossians 1:13) For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of
His beloved Son,
Man fell to temptation, and Adam and Eve were driven away from the Garden of Eden. The door to the
Garden of Eden is forever closed to man in his own nature. (Gen 3:24). There is no possibility that man in
his own nature can ever share the dominion with God’s Son. Worse than this and according to Col 1:13,
now the earth is under the domain of darkness. The dominion that man had was forfeited to Satan.
Ephesians 1:20-21 which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit
at his right hand in the heavenly places, (21) far above all rule, and authority, and power, and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
The first man failed. God sent forth His own Son to the world. Jesus was different from all other men
who are in the nature of Adam. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and He was born of a virgin. He
was tempted, but never sinned. He was the perfect Man. His chose to obey His Father and laid down
His life on the cross. Jesus was sinless and He was perfect. Death cannot hold Him. According to Eph
1:20-21, God raised Him from the dead and gave Him rule and authority far above every created thing.
Adam forfeited the dominion that belongs to God’s Son to the enemy. Christ, the second Man, is given
the dominion over all created thing. Dear brothers and sisters please don’t just consider redemption as
limited to salvation. It is so much more. Dominion is redeemed back to God. 5
(Ephesians 2:6) and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus,
Not only dominion is redeemed and given to Christ, the desire of Christ to share the throne with man
according to His nature, the body of Christ, the Church has not change. According to Eph 2:6, we all
together, the church, were raised up with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly, in the throne.
Dear brothers and sisters, I want to drive home this point. What a privilege the Church has, what a
position the Church has, we are, but sinners saved by His grace, now sitting with Him in His throne.
(1c) Why are we not taken out of the world?
Matthew 18:18 "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and
whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."
You may ask, since the Lamb is in the center of the throne, and the church is seated with Him in the
heavenlies, then why do we still face so much conflicts, and tabulation in the world? There are several
reasons. Firstly, when Adam and Eve were created, they were God’s mean to subdue God’s enemy.
Though Adam and Eve failed, God’s purpose for man has not changed. According to Matt 18:18, the
church is given the authority to bind and to loose now. We are not taken out of world because Christ
wants to use His church to subdue the enemy. The church serves Him now as a testimony that Heaven
does rule.
Secondly, we often consider reigning and ruling as an external thing. But there is always the battle
raging within. The flesh, the self life that is in us, though it is decommissioned, often rises up to have
ascendancy. The flesh is the playground of the adversary. We are not taken out of the world so that we
may allow the cross to work within to subdue the self life.
Thirdly, ruling and reigning is not a child business. It is the business of mature sons. We are not taken
out of the world so that we may be matured through much conflicts, and tabulation.
Matthew 5:13-14 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be
made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by
men. (14) "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
Fourthly, toward the end of the book of revelation there is a city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from
heaven. We also notice that there is the river of life flow from the city, and there is the tree of life along
the side of the river (Rev 22:1-2). Based on Matt 5:13-14, the church is meant to be the salt and the light
to this dying and darkened world. The church serves Him now in the ministry of life. The church is being
prepared to serve Him and to minister in life in the kingdom age and the age of eternity.
(2a) The Pathway to the Throne
Philippians 2:5-11 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, (6) who, although He
existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but emptied
Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. (8) Being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross. (9) For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above
every name, (10) so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and
on earth and under the earth, (11) and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
The Lamb is in the center of the throne now. He is there reigning and ruling now. We may ask what is
the pathway to the throne, so that the church may rule and reign with Christ now when we are in the
world and also for the ages to come. The church needs to know experientially this sitting with Christ in
the throne. John saw the Lamb instead of someone in kingly clothes, in the center of the throne, and
that tells us something very special. I have inquired about it, and I was brought to Phil 2:5-11.
The pathway for the Lord was down, down, down, down to the death of the cross. Then the Father lifted
Him up above everything, things in heaven, things on earth, and things under the earth. Every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Lordship is dominion. The pathway to throne is the following: 1)
based on verse 6 the Lord put Himself under His Father; 2) based on verse 7 the Lord is totally devoted
to the Father by becoming a bond-slave to the Father; 3) based on verse 8 the Lord is absolutely
obedient to the Father and (4) He laid down His life on the cross. Putting this in a simple way, it is: 1)
subjection, 2) devotion, 3) obedience, and 4) cross. The Lord becomes the Lamb of God. The Lamb is
given authority because He is willing to subject to the authority of His Father.
(Romans 5:19) For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so
through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
Paul started the description of the Lord’s pathway to the throne with the exhortation of “having this
attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” This is our pathway to the throne also. For us the
process works in the reverse order. Our starting point is the cross. The cross is two sided. On the grave
side is death. Everything that is not of the Lord is excluded. On the resurrection side is life. Christ is our
life. Everything that is of the Lord is included. Based on Romans 5:19 we know the issue with Adam and
Eve was disobedience. The Lord overcame the enemy by being obedient to God. Obedient means not
my will, but God’s will be done. We must allow the cross to work obedience into our life. Without
obedience we cannot live a life that is total devoted to the Lord. Without obedience we cannot have the
Lord to be preeminent in our life. For us, obedient is the key to the throne.
(2b) Example of Having the Mindset of Jesus
Acts 1:4 And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for
what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me;
Acts 1:14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the
women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one
of these two Thou hast chosen
Isn’t this exemplified by the believers in early days after the Lord’s resurrection! The disciples thought
that Jesus would establish an earthly kingdom. This thought went to pieces when Jesus died on the
cross. After the resurrection, everything changed. Isn’t this work of the cross!
Jesus commanded them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). They
did. Isn’t this obedient!
According to Acts 1:14, they all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer. Isn’t this
devotion to the Lord Jesus!
When it was time to choose a person to take the place of Judas as a witness with them of Jesus’
resurrection, they acknowledged Christ is the Lord, and they presented the choice to Him (Act 1:24).
Acts 12:24 But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.
In that early time the church was persecuted by the religious system, the Judaizers, via the political
system, the Roman Empire. As an example, we find in Act 12, the church was persecuted. Herod the
king killed James and put Peter in prison. It was an amazing story how Peter was set free by an angel,
Herod was put to death by an angel. “But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied”
(Acts 12:24). We find the believers overcame, Christ was preached, and the fire of the Holy Spirit was
burning bright. Isn’t this reigning and ruling with the Lamb in the center of the throne!
(3a) Examples of Disobedience
Man after the nature of Adam is crafty. When the nature of Adam has the upper hand, we can easily be
deceived, and we may judge what is disobedient as obedient. This Adamic life always look for excuses or
covers for his disobedience acts. I would like to give an example of disobedience that demonstrates that
disobedience is the nature of old Adam. The man after the old Adam can never be on the throne. I was
led to Saul as an example.
1 Samuel 15:18-23
(18) and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites,
and fight against them until they are exterminated.'
(19) "Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil
in the sight of the LORD?"
(20) Then Saul said to Samuel, "I did obey the voice of the LORD, and went on the mission on which the
LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the
Amalekites.
(21) "But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to
destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal."
(22) Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice
of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
(23) "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because
you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king."
The particular event of Saul is recorded in 1 Sam 15:18-23. Saul was a man after the nature of Adam, he
could not obey. Saul was sent to fight and totally exterminate the Amalekites. Saul only did that half
way. He brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and he allowed his people to take some of the spoil. He
even suggested a cover, that the people brought back the spoil to offer sacrifice to the Lord. Partial
obedience is no obedience. The Lord rejected Saul being king. This is a lesson for us. In order to reign
and rule with the Lamb in the center of the throne we must be totally obedient to the Lamb.
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered
Himself up for me.
The self life can’t obey God. But there is a life in us that can obey God. It is Christ life in us, and that is
our hope. Christ life is the life of the Lamb in the throne. Christ in us is the hope of glory. We
acknowledge that we have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me
(Gal 2:20). By the virtue of no longer I who live, but Christ lives in us, we would have the same mindset
as that of Jesus (Phil 2:5).
(3b) Personal story
John 8:36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
May I share a personal story that could be helpful! Several months ago there was an increase of
frequency that we were not at the prayer’s meeting or at the fellowship meeting. I had many covers or
excuses. The weather was bad. I was exhausted. I couldn’t get out work in time to get to the meeting.
Based on John 8:36, the Son has made me free, why didn’t I have the liberty for not going to meetings?
Why couldn’t I stay home and mediate on God’s word? I could use the travel time on God’s word. I felt
that these were very good reason, but they were very crafty, just like Saul did. This went on for a period
of time.
One morning, the Lord seemed to say, “Yes, I have made your free, but I have not given you the liberty
of not assembly together with brothers and sisters in prayer and in fellowship gathering.” This has an
impact on everything. We are free, but yet we are not free. We have the liberty of not following the way
according to the nature of Adam, but yet we do not have liberty of not following the will of the Lord.
Formerly I said, “Lord, look at all these difficulties, I am tired, I am late, the road is bad, I can’t go.” Now
I say, “Lord, I want to go. Please remove the stumbling blocks that would prevent me from going.” The
Lord is faithful, and He indeed removes the stumbling blocks.
Conclusion
Matthew 16:18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and
the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.
Recently the brothers have been sharing on this matter of the house of God. The Lord is building His
church now, and the gates of Hades do not overpower it. In the end of the book of Revelation, there is
the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. The New Jerusalem speaks of uninterrupted presence
of God and the Lamb. It speaks of the reigning, ruling, and ministering with the Lamb. The house of God
is the New Jerusalem. How do the saints arrive at this end? By having the mindset of Jesus. How is the
Lord building His church today? He is working into His people the mindset of Jesus.
Dear brothers and sisters, I must finish up. The Lamb is in the center of the throne now. The war is
finished. The dominion of the universe is given by God to the Lamb. It is the desire of the Lord, and it is
our birth right, to experience the ruling and reigning with the Lamb, now, in the kingdom age, and in the
age of eternity. Are we prepared for this? Do we obey Him in all things? Do we totally devote to Him? Is
He preeminent in our hearts and in our midst? To arrive at throne we must be willing to allow the Holy
Spirit to have the freedom to work in us, to subdue the disobedient, and allow His life to reign within us.
Absolute obedience is needed to rule and reign with the Lamb.
We open our time with singing to the Lord that the Lamb is worthy. He is truly worthy of all our beings.
Let us embrace the cross and give the freedom to the Holy Spirit to work in us such so that He is
enthroned in each of us, and in the midst of us, and we learn to rule and reign with Him now, and for the
ages to come. It is not complicated. May the Lord help us!
Scriptures Referenced
Revelation 21:2
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 7:7
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
Philippians 2:5
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 2:6
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Psalm 2:2
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
