For his part, Thompson began singing as a child but did not start writing music until he was 30. He was part of the quintet making up the contemporary gospel group Ashmont Hill which hit the charts with their debut self-titled album in 2008. Thompson released his solo debut My Worship in 2018 and now returns with the 11-track nearly 70 minute long Lion of Judah that he wrote during the great pandemic shutdown of 2020. Thompson fills Lion of Judah with current gospel, worship and praise music that features of course, himself behind the mic but also co-singers in Kymberli Joye, Anthony Brown, Michael Whitaker and Nia Allen on individual tracks.
The well-crafted songs, most of which top five minutes and several stretch past seven minutes long, showcase range and complexity but most of all originality. While gospel dominates, Thompson incorporates elements of rock, pop, R&B and, of course, a whole lot of soul.
Download Gospel Song Lion Of Judah
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And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." 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 with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; and they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals, for thou was slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth."What Makes a Truly Admirable Woman or Man Nol and I have discussed often over the years what makes a truly admirable woman and a truly admirable man. One of the conclusions we have come to is that no man is truly admirable who does not have a measure of the more feminine qualities, and no woman is truly admirable who does not have a measure of the more masculine qualities.
A woman who acts too much like a man we regard as unnatural. We may pity her or even be offended by her, but we don't admire her. And a man who acts too much like a woman we regard as unnatural. We may pity him or even be offended by him, but we don't admire him.
But neither do we admire the man who is typically called "all man" or the woman who is typically called "all woman." Both of those phrases usually suggest a man or a woman who is too narrow and too simple. They don't have the complexity and harmony of personality that makes a person rise in our admiration. These phrases make us think of people who are only able to respond with one kind of response and feel one kind of feeling and think one kind of thought.
To admire that is like saying that a male chorus would be more male if they all sang bass. And a women's chorus would be more female if they all sang soprano. Well, that may be true, but they wouldn't be the better for it.
There is a real difference between a male chorus and a female chorus, just like there is a difference between an admirable man and an admirable woman. But what makes the male chorus sound great is that some of the voices have a more feminine quality. And what makes a women's chorus sound great is that some of the voices have a more masculine quality.
People who know music know what the balance should be. And people who are good judges of character know what balance and blend is admirable in a person too. The highest and deepest and most admirable beauties in my life are not simple things. They are complex.
The reason I mention this is not because I want to talk about the difference between male and female today, but simply to illustrate a principle of beauty or excellence or admirableness. I want you to think seriously today about what makes a person truly beautiful or excellent or admirable or praiseworthy. My goal is that you might come to see Jesus Christ as irresistibly admirable and excellent and praiseworthy, and that you would be drawn to love him and trust him and give your full allegiance to him.
The list could go on and on. Do you see what I mean when I say that beauty and excellency in person is not a simple thing? It is complex. It is a coming together in one person of the perfect balance and proportion of extremely diverse qualities. And that's what makes Jesus Christ so irresistibly admirable and excellent.
A student once asked Bonaventure, the medieval Franciscan teacher, "Why don't men love God more?" And he answered, "They don't love him because they don't know him." That's the way I feel about Christ this morning. Surely, if I can display for you just a flicker of the excellency of Christ today, you will love him and trust him and follow him, no matter what it costs. That's my prayer for you (and for you who read this manuscript!).
But then in verse 6 John is allowed to see this Lion. But what he sees must have been a surprise after the words of the elder in verse 5. It says, "And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain." So the Lion is a Lamb, an animal that is easily preyed upon and that is weak and harmless and lowly, sheared for our clothes and killed for our food.
What is this scroll with its writing on both sides and its seven seals? The scroll represents the decrees of God concerning what will happen in the future. You can see this in chapter 6 as one seal after the other is opened and more and more is revealed of the judgments coming on the earth.
So the scroll contains God's plans for the future: the struggles and victories of the gospel as well as the judgments on those who reject it. The opening of the seals is the course of history leading up to the end. And the rest of the scroll is the story of the end of the world and the final triumph of God's kingdom.
Now notice that the scroll is in the right hand of God. Verse 1: "And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll." God holds all of the future in his right hand. He wrote the script for what will take place and no one can change it. He has it in his own right hand. If the kingdom of Christ finally conquers and judgment finally falls on the unbelieving world, it will be because God holds all things firmly in his right hand.
Then notice that he is called one "who was seated on the throne." This simply confirms that he rules in the universe. His throne represents his right and authority and power to govern the world the way he sees fit.
The completeness of his rule and the perfection of his decrees is signified by the fact that the scroll is written within and on the back. In other words, the scroll is packed. There are no spaces for later additions, as though the King of the universe could overlook some eventuality. The plan is complete, it is full, it is safe in the right hand of the King, and he is on the throne.
What we learn from this is that we ought to submit to the authority of our King, our Creator (4:11) and the Ruler of all things. A picture of God's sovereign rule over all that will happen should bring us to our faces in reverence and fear.
Why doesn't God himself simply remove the seals of the scroll of history and reveal its contents and bring about the consummation of his kingdom? We will see the answer in just a moment when we read why Christ was qualified to open the seals. But in advance, the answer is that the end of history, contained in this scroll, is going to bring such astounding privileges and happiness to repentant sinners who deserve only condemnation that God would be unrighteous to bring it to pass by himself.
It would look as though he didn't care that we have trampled his glory in the dirt. It would look as though he could just sweep our sin under the rug of the universe. Something must be done to demonstrate the righteousness of God if the opening of this scroll is going to bring infinite blessing upon repentant sinners who deserve only condemnation. If God were to open the scroll himself without any mediator, without any go-between, and deal directly with sinful man, we would all be consumed and there would be no salvation at all.
Which leads us very briefly to the third observation from verse 4: "And I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it." The third observation is that without Christ there will be only weeping.
Now let's read verse 5 again in the light of the three observations we have made. "Then one of the elders said to me, 'Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.'" There is one person who can open the scroll, namely, the Lion of Judah. And the reason that he is worthy to open the scroll is that he has conquered.
Now notice carefully the relationship between verse 5 and verse 9. In verse 5 the reason the Lion of Judah can open the scroll is that he has conquered. In verse 9 the reason he can open the scroll is because he was slain and by his blood ransomed men for God.
What sort of Lion was he? He was a Lamb-like Lion. The Lion of Judah conquered because he was willing to act the part of a Lamb. He came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday like a King on the way to a throne, and he went out of Jerusalem on Good Friday like a Lamb on the way to the slaughter. He drove out the robbers from the Temple like a Lion devouring its prey. And then at the end of the week he gave his majestic neck to the knife, and they slaughtered the Lion of Judah like a Lamb. So he conquered sin and death and Satan not just because he was a Lion, but because he was a Lamb-like Lion. 152ee80cbc