Chapter Three: The Centrality of the Wounded Lamb

“Faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God. It is lifting the mind to ‘behold the Lamb of God,’ and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives.” - A.W. Tozer

“And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.”

As believers on earth we will soon experience heaven. Our days are numbered and short. If one lives to 70 years old we would have only 3652 Sunday’s to worship, a mere 25,567 days in our total lifetime. Heaven is surely close to all of us. Many people have strange ideas of what to expect in heaven or see once they arrive there, yet the Holy Scriptures are very clear, showing us that there is ongoing worship in heaven even as you read this book now. In, Revelation 5, we have one of the best views into the heavenly scene where all focus is solely on a Lamb. This Lamb is the very Son of God who was incarnated for mankind, and His wounds are still visible. Historically, in Church stained glass windows, there is a picture of an Agnus Dei Lamb holding a banner (symbolizing victory), and there is a wound with blood pouring out into a chalice.

This beautiful image of a Lamb slain symbolizes God’s victory and triumph over sin and death. It was through weakness and what appeared to be a defeat that God conquered. A wounded Lamb is a Victor! When we are weak, we are strong. The weakness of God is greater than man’s strength. By His wounds, we are healed.

Heaven’s focal point, therefore, is God displaying the wonder of the Gospel afresh and vividly through his atonement and sacrifice on the Cross. We will marvel and worship from generation to generation in endless eternity, lauding the Holy Trinity for His endless love and lowly condensation for men.

In early liturgies, this phrase is repeated three times during the Eucharist service: “O Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.”

Jesus is the Focus of Heaven

God the Father has purposed that Jesus should be glorified in all things. All focus and attention are on the Son of God. The Scripture says, “Every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Jesus created the earth and all the things we see. He will come and judge the earth also, at the very end. As we state in the historic Nicene Creed, “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” All matter is held together by the power of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Without Him, literally, everything falls apart. Jesus’ name is above every other name. He is the King above all other kings. Jesus is the Supreme Teacher. He is the very Wisdom of God. He is the uncreated Word of God (the Logos).

Jesus of Nazareth is God in the Flesh. He was incarnated by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. By His life, we have life. He is the Eternal, unending Life. As an early creed of the Church proclaimed:

“He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

The heavenly scene depicts Jesus in the center, on God’s right hand, with all attention focused on Him. Myriads of angels are worshipping. Seraphim and Cheribum are angels created by God who dwell near His presence more than others. Because of this, they have six wings; with two wings, they cover their eyes from God’s glory; with two other wings, they cover their feet; and with the last two, they fly. It says in the Revelation account that they never cease to say: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” We also see the holy twelve Apostles, Patriarchs, and godly Saints all bowing down before the Lord.

We read in Revelation 5:

“Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And He came and took the scroll from the right hand of the One seated on the throne.

When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:

‘Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.’”

This standing Lamb is the center of heaven but also should be the center and focus of our worship gatherings and lives on earth.

Jesus, The Reason for Our Gathering

Sadly, in our modern day, multitudes of Church gatherings happen for reasons other than solely to worship Jesus Christ, the slain Lamb. Much of western Christianity is centered around men as the focal point in the Church. Instead, our gathering should be unto Him, the Lord of glory.

The focal point and focus on Jesus Christ is the most relevant thing a Church can do. Christ was at the same time both ancient and modern. He was the Logos, who existed eternally, and the Incarnate Son, who was born at a specific time. So also, the Church that bears His name is called to embody our ancient faith in a modern world. We will notice that we are not called to have popular speakers or attractive sermon titles. Christ was the focus of the Ancient faith that should be expressed in the same way in our day.

The Scriptures themselves speak of Jesus. He was the prophesied Messiah to come in the Old Testament. In the Holy Gospels, He is incarnated and manifested. In the New Testament, He is the promised coming King. All of the Holy Scriptures speak of Him.

When you enter church buildings, you can also tell the congregation’s emphasis on Jesus Christ. Is there a cross front and center as a focus for worship? Are there stained glass windows that depict scenes of Christ? Sadly, many churches look like businesses or entertainment centers with self-help of men as the focus. To see an altar with Holy Scriptures and a chalice displayed gives the reason for our gathering: It is unto Him! Many churches simply exist for the speaker to share, but Christianity is much more than just a sermon; it’s a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ. “A million sermons is not worth trading for a day without Christ’s fellowship.” It is all the body of Christ working together in unity and liturgy (meaning the work of the people).

Our gathering as the body of Christ is, therefore, unto Him. To worship Him. Many songs in churches speak subjectively, not objectively. They do not put the language directly towards God as a prayer. “Do you go to Church to meet God or to hear a sermon about Him? How many come to Church expecting a confrontation with the Deity?”

Adoring the Lord Jesus

The concept of adoration is something lost in a busy Church culture where to stop and pause, even silently, to worship God is almost unknown. One fast-paced song after another, and we can go through church gatherings without ever truly meeting with God spiritually.

Adoration requires attention; it requires time; it requires gazing and, at times, silence. Adoration is the lifting of the heart to God. It is worship in its pure form.

The Psalmist encourages us to adore the Lord:

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”

“Exalt the Lord our God; worship at His footstool! Holy is He!”

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.”

An old bishop in the Church prayed this prayer, and it is a wonderful prayer to say aloud, allowing the Lord to kindle in you a heart of adoration for Jesus Christ:

“Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore Thee, a heart to delight in Thee, to follow and to enjoy Thee, for Christ’s sake.”

Sitting Quietly at His Feet

We rush to Jesus with so many words, but He longs for our embrace and simply for us to sit quietly at His feet. A true friend can sit in the company of another friend with very few words spoken. It is a restful place, a place of comfort, wholeness, and healing. Tozer, a leading evangelical figure, wrote: “It might well be a wonderful revelation to some Christians if they were to get completely quiet for a short time, long enough, let us say, to get acquainted with their own souls, and to listen in the silence for the deep voice of the Eternal God.” Tozer’s practice was to be prostrated in his prayer room for hours each day. He was not scared of silence before the Nail-Pierced Feet.

Mary Magdalene lay at Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her tears. St. John, the disciple, leaned on his bosom. The Tax Collector comes into the temple of God and beats his breast with few words, and head is laid low. Worship and Adoration lead to a place of intimacy and silence before the Lamb that bought us with His own Blood. Our words become few; our heart is simply uplifted to God.

“In silence and quiet the devout soul advances in virtue and learns the hidden truths of Scripture.” Many do not linger and wait before the Lord in godly fear and reverence, a God who desires to share His secrets with us.

Adoring the Wounds

In a well-known old hymn, we sing:

Were you there when they pierced Him in the Side? Were you there when they pierced Him in the Side? Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they pierced Him in the Side?

When Jesus was resurrected, He appeared to all the disciples, specifically St. Thomas. We read of this account: “Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see My Hands; and put out your hand and place it in My Side. Do not disbelieve but believe.’” Though Jesus was in a glorified body, His Wounds were still visible. These are visible reminders of His great love and sacrifice for humanity. These Wounds lead us to worship and adoration.

Jesus is still in heaven, “A Lamb standing, as though It had been slain,” His Wounds are eternally visible to His worshippers. We worship Him for His love, His propitiation, His redemption, His atonement, His mercy, His goodness.

In one of the early Moravian settlements, a plaque is inscribed Gloria Pleurae (Honour to the Side). All the wounds of the Lord are sacred, yet in Church history, there has been a leaning of reverence for the Side Wound caused by the soldier’s spear.

St. John Chrysostom spoke extensively on the Side Wound of Jesus in the passage, “There flowed from His Side water and blood” He exclaims:

“Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that water and blood symbolized Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. From these two sacraments the Church is born: from Baptism, ‘the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit, and from the Holy Eucharist. Since the symbols of Baptism and the Eucharist flowed from His Side, it was from His Side that Christ fashioned the Church, as He had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam. Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: ‘Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh!’

As God then took a rib from Adam’s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from His Side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after His own death.”

What a beautiful spiritual truth that the Church was born from Christ. And, of course, this birth comes through His blood sacrifice. A son honors his mother, who birthed him. How much more should we honor and adore the One who birthed us into His living Holy Church, His Body?

Heavenly Worship Now

Life is so short. Time passes faster with the years that go by. Yet time itself can almost stand still for us as we enter into the timeless worship of the Son of God. The invitation comes to us today. Will we be those who adore our Lord now? When we come on the Lord’s Day, will we see and worship Him?

The wounded Lamb is before us. Let us bow down and worship!