Plan for: Thanksgiving | Advent | Christmas
This sermon explores humility, honor, and heeding God's call, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging God's sovereignty for clarity and peace in life.
Welcome, dear friends, to another blessed gathering in the presence of our Lord. It's always a joy to see your faces, both familiar and new, gathered here in fellowship, eager to seek and understand the word of God. It's an honor to be here with you, as we open our hearts and minds to the divine wisdom that awaits us in the sacred pages of Scripture.
Today, we turn our attention to the magnificent book of Revelation, specifically the fourth chapter, verses ten through eleven. In these verses, we find a profound message about humility, honor, and heeding God's call. Hear now the Word of God: "The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 'You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.'"
Renowned theologian, J.I. Packer once said, "Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord." Isn't that a powerful thought? That the simple act of acknowledging God's sovereignty, of humbling ourselves before Him, can bring clarity and peace into our lives.
Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the privilege of gathering here today in Your name. We ask that You open our hearts and minds to the message You have for us in Your Word. May we learn to humble ourselves before You, to honor You in all we do, and to heed Your call in our lives. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Let's begin, friends, as we seek to understand and apply these powerful truths in our lives.
In the sacred pages of Scripture, we find a profound message about humility. The elders, in their reverence for the Almighty, lay down their crowns before His throne. This act of surrendering their crowns, symbols of worldly authority and achievement, paints a vivid picture of a humbled heart.
In our everyday lives, we too are called to lay down our crowns before God. These crowns represent our pride, our self-reliance, our desire for control, and our pursuit of worldly success. We are called to surrender these things to God, to humble our hearts before Him. This requires us to let go of our ego, our desires, and our plans, and to trust in God's wisdom and plan for our lives.
The act of humbling ourselves before God is actually a sign of strength! It is a recognition of our limitations and a declaration of our dependence on God. By doing this we are recognizing our sinfulness and our need for God's grace. We are all sinners, falling short of God's glory. Yet, God, in His mercy, offers us forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. When we humble ourselves before God, we acknowledge our need for His saving grace.
In the act of humbling ourselves, we also find freedom. When we let go of our pride and surrender to God, we are freed from the burden of trying to control everything, of trying to be perfect, of trying to earn our salvation. We are freed to live in the grace and love of God.
Humility also leads us to a deeper relationship with God. It’s so interesting to me that God designed such an upside down way that this world function. Meaning, when we lay low before god, we find guidance and wisdom. We become more receptive to His Word and His will. We draw closer to Him by making more of him and less of ourselves.
Finally, a humbled heart leads us to a life of service. We are moved to extend that grace to others because of our humility. We are called to serve others, not out of obligation, but out of love and gratitude for God's love and grace towards us.
As we consider the elders' actions in Revelation 4:10-11, we see a vivid display of honor towards the Almighty ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO