HoHum:
During a worship service a man began to be moved. Out loud he said “Amen!” People around him were a little disturbed. Then louder he said, “Hallelujah!” A few more people were becoming disturbed. Louder still he shouted “Praise Jesus!”An usher moved quickly down the aisle. He bent over and whispered to the man, “Sir! Control yourself!” The man exclaimed, “I can’t help it. I got Jesus!!!” To which the usher responded, “Well you didn’t get Him here!”
WBTU:
Past few weeks talking about passages from Revelation. We have journeyed from the OT to the NT in this series on the community of the church. As we are coming to the end we are talking about Revelation. This is appropriate as the last book of the Bible.
Started by discussing the common thought among many that we can be Christians without going to church. The church is a necessary evil that must be endured rather than enjoyed.
We often think of Revelation as cryptic and a real life nightmare in the near future. While Revelation has parts like that, God intended this book to provide encouragement and coaching to Christians who lived amid mistreatment in the 1st century AD.
God just does not say to them, “Attaboy,” or “hang in there.” God offers these Christians- and through them, offers us- a glimpse into His own majesty. Throughout God astonishes, amazes, and dazzles readers with the grandeur of His glory. This helps all of us, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
Last Sunday night we talked about the present heaven. Even though we can speculate about the present state of the dead, one aspect of this from Revelation 4 is that those in the present heaven are worshipping. Those who have died are not just in some kind of limbo they are knowingly worshipping God.
The praise that we see here provides some great lessons on worship. God intends us to praise Him in a manner that reflects the worship in heaven.
Thesis: How does God intend us to worship on earth? See title
For instances:
God focused
Revelation 4 lets us know worship glorifies God- first, last and only.
In recent times there are many controversies about worship in churches. Contemporary, traditional, country, blended, rap, reggae, polka? From this many evaluate worship services based on what they “get out of it,” or how services make them feel. The elders and living creatures who surround God’s throne in Revelation 4 are unconcerned with what they might “get out of” worship. They seek to exalt, glorify, and please the one who reigns from the throne. Whether the worshiper enjoys or benefits from the experience is not the main thing. If we feel uplifted by the worship that is an extra bonus. We have too often place primary emphasis on the uplifting nature of an experience- in reality placing the emphasis on ourselves- and have neglected the Lord Almighty.
Donald Whitney tells of us of his 10th birthday. He invited 8 friends. They played football and basketball, enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers, then devoured ice cream and cake. “The climax was a gift from me to them. Nothing was too good for my friends. I was going to pay their way to the most exciting event in town- the high school basketball game. I can still see us spilling out of my parents station wagon with laughter and running up to the gymnasium. Standing at the window, paying for the tickets and surrounded by my friends- it was one of those golden moments in life. The picture in my mind was the perfect ending to a 10 year old boy’s birthday. 4 friends on one side and 4 friends on the other, I would sit in the middle while we munched popcorn and cheered. Then it was all ruined. Once in the gym, all my friends scattered and I never saw them again the rest of the night. There was no thanks for the fun, the food, or the tickets. Without a word of gratitude or goodbye, they all left without looking back. So I spent the rest of my birthday in the bleachers by myself. As I recall, it was a miserable ballgame.” Whitney said, “I tell that story not to gain sympathy, but because it reminds me of the way we often treat God in worship.”
In Revelation 4 these beings abandon themselves in intense love of the King. They demonstrate what true worshipers do- the sacrifice of self to exalt God.
Humble
24 elders “fall down before him who sits on the throne” (Rev. 4:10a). In the ancient world bowing demonstrated humility. The Bible often connects this posture with worship. “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker” Psalms 95:6, NIV.
After this the elders “lay their crowns before the throne” (Rev. 4:10b). History records many incidents of subjects presenting crowns to their rulers as acts of submission.
Though God invites us into an intimate friendship with Him, a friendship in which we can “draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22), this does not mean that we are equals. How dare we draw near to God in the same manner that we might plop down next to a buddy in front of a bowl of potato chips and a ballgame. His inviting us into a friendship does not lessen His majesty and glory. We are mistaken if we view our relationship with God as a license to approach God casually or indifferently. God deserves our utmost honor and respect. He deserves our humility.
Awestruck
In describing the scene around the throne, John includes fantastic images that inspire wonder: Revelation 4:3-6
True worship grows from a sense of the transcendent- an awe of God being “otherworldly” or separate from our world. God is infinitely beyond our full comprehension- more beautiful, dazzling, majestic, powerful, and holy than our minds can grasp.
John Stott: “We seem to have little sense of the greatness and glory of Almighty God. We do not bow down before him in awe and wonder. Our tendency is to be cocky, flippant and proud. Many times our worship is frivolous, to the point of disrespect. We need such a sincere offering of praise and prayer, that God’s people say with Jacob, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it’ (Genesis 28:16) and unbelievers present will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’ (1 Corinthians 14:24-25).”
We worship God- the infinite, majestic, holy, powerful King of all kings. Anyone who fails to worship in awe, fails to worship.
Joining with the saints on earth
“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” Revelation 7:9, NIV. We see here the community of God’s people worshiping God
Worship can occur individually. However, the Bible often presents worship in community. “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,” Ephesians 5:19, NIV. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16, NIV. Worship centers on God, not on people. When a community joins hearts and voices to worship God, however, this action results in encouragement and edification among the worshippers.
C.S. Lewis said that when he first became a Christian, he had trouble with church gatherings. “I thought that I could do it on my own by retiring to my rooms and reading theology, and I wouldn’t go to churches anymore.” He found the sermons often dull, and he disliked organ music, which he described as “one long roar.” He had contempt for church hymns, which he “considered to be fifth rate poems set to sixth rate music.” As his faith matured, however, he grew to value gathering with other Christians to worship. As his ego diminished, he realized that these hymns were being sung with enthusiasm by elderly saints in neighboring pews, and then he realized that he was unworthy to clean their boots. He said, “Going to church gets you out of your solitary conceit.” A secret: this is the main problem
Joining with the Saints in heaven
When we worship on earth, we join voices with the worshipers of heaven. Revelation 4 suggests that worship now- at this moment- fills heaven. When Christians on earth lift their praise and honor to God, God receives our worship while at the same time He receives the worship of the heavenly hosts. We worship along with the elders and creatures who surround the throne, and the saints of past ages.
Ben Witherington describes a time of worship as he traveled with a group to tour Greece and Italy. Part of the trip included a visit to the catacombs in Rome, 150 feet beneath the ground, where early Christian martyrs had been buried. Amid the arches and the niches cut into the walls where martyrs’ remains once rested, the group began singing. The melodies and harmonies echoed through the halls. “The further we got into this worship, the more we sensed the presence of the saints being with us while we were worshiping God. It was a Revelation 4 kind of moment.” He went on to explain, “Worship on earth is a tune up for worship in heaven. No need to wait- we’re already there!”
Worship is a foretaste of heaven; worship is a foretaste of home.
