The Reminder in the Rainbow
Rev. 4:1-11 & Genesis 9:12-17
Sermon Objective: A communion meditation to remind the Church to never lose the wonder of the mercy of God.
Genesis 9:12-17
12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
17 So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."
Rev. 4:1-11
1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11"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."
Intro:
As John enters the vision’s hall his eyes are instinctively drawn to the throne where the splendor of God radiates in a gem-like manner. A polished pavement stretches out before the throne like the waters of a crystal sea and the flames of seven torches burning before the throne illuminate the hall. Four strange six-winged couriers attend to the Sovereign. The voices of the creatures soar above all other sounds as they sing praises to the Almighty and their song is picked up by the other attendants who rise from their thrones and bow before God’s throne, casting their crowns before Him.
God is central to this vision. MORE SPECIFICALLY, GOD AS CREATOR AND SOVEREIGN IS CENTRAL TO THE VISION. His presence is the radiant point around which the galaxy of other heavenly beings revolve; yet his appearance eludes direct description. This portrayal of the throne room preserves the mystery and transcendence, so that readers recognize that God is not merely a human being writ large. The scene shows that, in the proper order of things, all creation is oriented toward the Creator. { Craig Koester: “Revelation and the End of All Things” }
Our problems with the Book of the Revelation begin when we allow other things … sensationalistic things … to grab our attention rather than the Sovereign God. In fact, nothing in the book is as “sensational” as God and all attention should be focused there.
This vision provides beautiful imagery which illustrates God’s nature and His relationship with creation. AND, AT TIMES, THE IMAGERY WE PASS OVER WEAKENS US BECAUSE WE FAIL TO GRASP THE GRANDEUR OF GOD.
As we have been discovering, there are some central elements in this chapter that must not be overlooked if we are to properly understand the remainder of John’s vision. For example, in the midst of the sea of glass, the throne, and the worshipping creatures there is another image which may very well hint at the creatures’ motivation for praise … did you catch it in verses 4 and 5? I am certain you did.
There is a storm and a rainbow.
Everything else is described in relation to the centrality of the throne except the rainbow which is a halo that fully encircles the scene. And like the throne itself, it serves to draw all our attention towards the living and loving God.
It serves as a neon sign pointing to Creator God. And, like the throne that conveys majestic truth about the nature and character of God, so does the rainbow.
So what does it tell us about the nature and character of God?
That, of course, is why we read Genesis 9:12-17 earlier in the service. The rainbow is mentioned early in the book as a reminder that God prefers to give mercy rather than wrath; as a reminder that mercy encircles God’s interaction with His creation.
That is why the book may best be understood as a call to repentance rather than a book about the end of human history. Isaiah 28:21 reminds us that God’s judgment is His “strange work” … his “alien task”. Wrath is not in keeping with his intent or desire. God is not a bully; He is love and He goes out of his way to avoid judgment and to offer mercy. WHEN JUDGMENT DOES COME … IT IS A LAST RESORT AND, AS WE WILL DISCOVER IN CHAPTER 9, EVEN THAT IS AN ATTEMPT TO BRING US TO REPENTANCE.
You see, mercy is a basic to God’s nature.
• Exodus 34 talks of God’s self-disclosure to Moses. In verse 6 it says, “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,” {KJV}
• Psalm 116:5 says: “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.” {KJV}
FEW THINGS (IF ANYTHING) IS MORE IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT GOD THAN HIS DESIRE TO SHOW MERCY … TO PARDON SIN AND RESTORE HUMANKIND TO A PLACE OF RELATIONSHIP.
And that is an important element of mercy that we must not overlook; MERCY IS NOT AN EMOTION … IT IS ALWAYS EXPRESSED IN ACTION. This is seen most fully in the New Testament … namely the birth of the Messiah which illustrates God’s desire to save an unworthy people (Luke 1:50, 54, 70, 72). Listen to a few verses from Luke’s account of the birth.
• Luke 1:50 – “His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”
• Luke 1:53-55 – “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.”
• Luke 1:69-72 – “He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David … to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant…”
But God’s mercy is not just for Israel. It has always been intended for all people. He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). GOD’S MERCY IS THE FOUNDATION OF HUMAN REDEMPTION … IT IS HIS RESPONSE TO OUR UNWORTHINESS. Titus 3:5 says, “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
I suspect you can remember rather vividly some of the more intense rainbows you have seen. For me two come to mind. One was on the Racquet River in Colton. You could see the base of the bow as it projected from the river and it seemed so full that you thought you could reach out and touch it.
The other was in central Oklahoma while driving on I 40, it too seemed less transparent, more opaque, and I drove straight through the base of it. In both cases (as in every case of the rainbow) I was instinctively reminded of God’s mercy and there was something very symbolic and moving about driving directly into its base.
The word “rainbow” (Genesis 9) is the same Hebrew word as the word for the “bow” of an archer. There is a play on words in the Hebrew … IT IS AS IF GOD HAS TAKEN THE WEAPON OF JUDGMENT USED UPON HIS CREATION AND HUNG IT IN THE SKY AS A PROCLAMATION THAT HE NEVER WANTS TO USE IT AGAIN. Humans see the bow in the sky after a storm and know that it is an indication of God’s desire to show mercy … even in the storm of judgment.
So it is in Revelation 4; in the midst of the storm God places a 360 degree rainbow right in the forefront.
This fits perfectly with the theme that runs through the remainder of the book. You will notice that the earth is never struck with a flood. YOU WILL ALSO NOTICE THAT AS GOD’S WRATH IS POURED OUT IT IS NEVER POURED OUT IN FULL … IT IS ALWAYS ADMINISTERED WITH RESTRAINT -- UP TO A POINT AND THEN HELD BACK (I.E. THE “WOES” OF CHAPTER 9-10). Always. Read it again and see for yourself.
Wrap-Up
So we look at the mercy of God this morning.
His mercy is at the heart of worship. It is God’s willingness to forgive and to take the penalty of sin upon Himself that reconciles us and shows us His majestic nature.
THE RAINBOW IS A POWERFUL IMAGE DESIGNED TO CONSTANTLY REMIND US OF THAT MERCY.
IT IS INTENDED TO DRAW YOU TOO HIS MERCY.
IT IS AN INVITATION TO COME AND RECEIVE HIS MERCY.
And there is another image God has given the church that does this too. It is the imagery represented by the elements I hold in my hand; the bread and the cup.
Let’s worship God as we receive the sacraments this morning.
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
