The Answer of Praise
(Masterpiece of Hope Series)
Revelation 15:3-4; 11:16-18
We must learn to trust in who God is, and that he is good.
Chapel Service of Plainfield Christian Church
Rob Hoos
Introduction
There are some things that we think good Christians just don’t say. It doesn’t matter what we think deep down, or how many people feel that way, we are just afraid to vocalize it. I guess they are sitting there on a list of things that you never expect to hear preached from the pulpit. You never think that the person that is preaching to you thinks or feels that way, it’s too taboo. But I want to tell you something that is along those lines. Sometimes, I find myself frustrated with the bible. There are a number of times that people in the bible ask questions, and then God changes the subject.
• Cain: Am I my brother’s keeper?
God: What have you done to your brother?
• Nicodemus: "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." (He’s looking to figure out who Jesus is. He wants to know who Jesus is!)
Jesus: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Most of all though, I find these questions that I would love to hear answered, left unanswered in the book of Job. Job asks:
• How many are my sins?
• Why do you hide your face and consider me an enemy?
• Why do the eyes of those who know Him not see his days?
Job asks why bad things happen to good people. That is a question I would love to have a concise, one verse answer to. It happens because ________. But God never directly answers that question.
Instead, we see God beginning to speak about himself: Job 38:1-11
1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2"Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
3"Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
4"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,
5Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?
6"On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,
7When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8"Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
9When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors,
11And I said, ’Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop’?
We see the same sort of thing happening in the book of Revelation.
Revelation Set-Up
God’s church during the time that Revelation is written is undergoing some terrible persecutions, and those persecutions continue even today in some countries. Many Christians are still being persecuted and killed for their faith in Jesus. Their world was also filled with a lot of violence, hatred, and self-centeredness. It is the same thing today isn’t it. We have tragedies occurring in our own country such as 9-11 and Columbine, and more recently the shootings that occurred at Virginia Tech. On top of all of that there is still starvation, murder, greed, disease and a whole slew of terrible things that are happening to the people of this world on a regular basis.
We find ourselves crying out with the same prayer that the martyred Christians pray to God in Revelation when they ask: “"How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" I don’t know about you, but when I am confronted with all of these images of pain I ask, “How much longer can all of this go on!?” Turning through the pages of Revelation, we are confronted with the same problem that we have when we read through the book of Job. God never directly answers their question. Instead, as we are reading through the pages of Revelation, we are confronted with a beautiful image of worship. The worship of God weaves itself throughout the entire book and ultimately answers our question.
The Answer of Praise
The answer we get to the question of “How long will this all be allowed to continue?” is the same as the answer that Job got. The answer to the question of our pain, the only answer, is the attributes of God.
Revelation 15:3-4
3And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
"Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!
4"Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU,
FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED."
Great and marvelous are your works: When we are confronted with the greatness of nature, and all of creation, we need to realize that God created all of it. He created everything in one word from his mouth. He created everything with infinite complexity. The make up of even the most basic building blocks of life are so far beyond our understanding today, let alone the deeper complexities of the human mind. God also provides continual care for his creation. Paul says in Colossians that Jesus is not only the creator, but in him and in him alone do all things hold together. Jesus is the glue that cements the universe and keeps it working. God works also include the miraculous events that follow his people throughout all of scripture: the parting of the red sea, the way that Jesus healed people and was able to walk on water. Great and marvelous are your works indeed oh God my Father.
The Almighty: God is not just powerful; he is all powerful. There is nothing that God is incapable of doing. You know that old cute saying that Atheists like to use: “Can God create a rock so big that he cannot lift it?” The answer to the question is yes, he can make a rock so big that he cannot lift it, but then he’ll lift it. God is all powerful.
Righteous and true are your ways: Righteousness is conformity to a standard. The only standard that exists in this universe if God. Therefore, righteousness as applied to God is simply the aspect of his nature that means God’s words, actions, thoughts, all line up with who he has revealed himself to be. In other words, since God says he is loving, he was righteous in loving us by sending his son to die on the cross for our sinfulness. This is saying to us that God is always faithful to himself and faithful to his word to us when he acts.
King of Nations: Do you realize that God is the ultimate authority over all peoples and princes. Every king and kingdom, every government and governor, every authority in heaven and on earth are under his power. God is the ruler over everything.
Holy: Not only is God all of these things, but he is also holy. There is not one thing, or one being that is even close to all that God is. He alone is set apart. He alone is wholly perfect. There is nothing like our God.
Righteous Acts Revealed: God has always planned to redeem us by the blood of his son, but it was only really revealed in full what God’s plan to redeem his people to himself was. It wasn’t to many years before John wrote this letter that God’s plan for the redemption of mankind had occurred, and people finally saw God’s righteous acts of both love and judgment toward the world.
Earlier in the book we see that John is coming to the end of one of the cycles of his visions. And he sees the grand finale. This is the scene of worship that John sees.
Revelation 11:16-18
And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
saying, "We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.
"And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."
We see in this section of text that God has begun to reign in this picture we are reading. God has claimed his authority and begun to rule over all of creation. He alone rules, and he rewards his servants and punishes the wicked.
Eventually, God is going to make everything right in the world.
The Answer We Needed
See, while God does not necessarily answer the question that we asked him, and though that we wanted answered. He answers the question that we truly needed to hear answered. Instead of giving us a when in Revelation, he gives us a picture of who he is through the praise of his creation.
To me, this is what God has answered as I study these passages:
“Don’t worry about when and how.”
“Instead, just know the kind of God that I am. I am unique and there is none like me. I am true to what I say and who I AM. I am all powerful. I created all things. I brought salvation to the world for all who will accept it. I am the King over all Nations and Powers. I will reign and am reigning. I will reward my servants and punish the evildoers. I will return. When I return, I will make everything right!!!”
Just Like Job
When I am confronted with this answer, I really identify wit Job when God has gotten done showing himself to him. (Job 42:1-6)
1Then Job answered the LORD and said,
2"I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
3’Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
"Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."
4’Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’
5"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
6Therefore I retract,
And I am comforted in dust and ashes."
We need to learn to trust God, and trust/have faith in who he is.
In C.S. Lewis’ book “Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” One of the humans asks about Aslan the Lion (who represents Jesus in the Story)
He asks if Aslan is safe.
Here is the reply: “Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he’s not safe. But he’s good.”
Though Life is often tough, things are bad, and I find myself asking “How Long Lord!?” I now know that I can trust that God is in control, and that he is good.
Really, the answer the question of How Long? or why do bad things happen to good people? is simply that it isn’t for us to know. All we need to know is that God is good, and he will eventually make all things right.
