Our God Reigns And Rules Series

Our God Reigns and Rules

Revelation 4:1-5:5

Rev. Brian Bill

March 28-29, 2026

Opening Song: “Crown Him With Many Crowns”

Sermon Intro Video

Sermon Part 1

Reading of Revelation 4:1-5:5

1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.

4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!”

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

1 Then 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. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

If you watched the news or scrolled through your social media feeds this week, you may have felt your stomach tighten and your heart start racing. Missiles flying, oil prices spiking, airports in chaos, tech giants held accountable for harming our kids, and experts warning of AI upending jobs and society. Doesn’t it feel like our world is spinning out of control?

In response to all the uncertainty, I recently posted a devotional entitled, “On His Throne” along with this graphic: “List of reasons I’m not panicking with what’s going on in the world right now: #1: JESUS.”

Here’s an excerpt:

God is firmly seated on His throne. He is in sovereign control, and the Lamb has already conquered through His death and resurrection. No war, no crisis, no headline catches Him by surprise or can derail His plan. Jesus holds history in His hands, and He is working His way and His will in order to accomplish His purposes. The world may feel like it’s unraveling, but the One who spoke it into existence is seated on the throne.

We’ll be doing things a bit differently today to reflect the greatness and grandeur of Revelation 4:1-5:5. The sermon will be preached in three parts. A song of praise will follow each section.

For our main idea, I’m going to paraphrase something Corrie ten Boom once said,

There is no panic in Heaven because God has no problems, only plans!

Let’s worship as we walk through God’s Word.

1. An open door. Listen to Revelation 4:1: “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’” The phrase “after this,” refers to the vision of Christ in chapter 1 and to the letters to the seven churches in chapters 2-3. Now the scene shifts to Heaven, giving us the view from above. One commentator writes, “All that is taking place on earth is under the sovereign control of the one who sits on the throne in Heaven.”