Some time ago, I came across a list of statements that describe our lives at times. They're actually restatements of the old Murphy's Law.
* Nothing is as easy as it looks.
* Everything takes longer than you think. &
* If anything can go wrong it will.
Sometimes life gets so bad you think
* Murphy was an optimist.
Here are some more (maybe you can relate):
* The other line always moves faster.
* The chance of the bread falling with the peanut butter and jelly side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.
* Inside every large problem is a series of small problems struggling to get out.
* Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
* The repairman will never have seen a model quite like yours before.
* Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.
* The light at the end of the tunnel is the headlamp of an oncoming train.
* Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone.
Life has its troubles, but these are nothing compared to the time of tribulation coming to this earth, as described in the book of Revelation. We’re beginning a new series of messages today – a series on the book of Revelation. It’s a great opportunity to invite your friends, as we explore God’s perspective on current events in light of what He says about the future.
Revelation tells us that there is coming to this earth a time of tribulation such as we have never seen. From the human perspective it looks like a time of total chaos, but there is a divine perspective, a heavenly perspective that helps us understand not only the Tribulation to come, but also the tribulations we face in our every-day lives.
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Revelation 4, Revelation 4, where we see that perspective.
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” (ESV) – i.e., after the church age described in chapters 2 & 3.
Jesus is speaking to the Apostle John, and He invites him to see the future from Heaven's perspective.
Revelation 4:2 At once [John says] I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. (ESV)
The 1st thing John sees is Someone sitting on a throne. In the midst of great tribulation, John sees that Someone is in charge. Someone is in control, and that’s what we need to see when there is turmoil and tribulation on this earth. That’s what we need to see when there is turmoil and tribulation in our lives.
SEE THAT GOD IS SOVEREIGN.
Understand that God has everything under control. Realize that our Lord is still on His throne.
Over 100 years ago, a tornado struck the prairies of Minnesota. Many were killed, hundreds were injured, and one small town was almost demolished. In the midst of the disaster, an elderly British surgeon and his two medically trained sons worked almost around the clock for days aiding the stricken, bandaging wounds, and setting broken limbs.
Their heroic work did not go unnoticed. Their excellence as physicians and their selflessness in the service of those in need created a following among the tornado victims. The doctor and his sons were offered financial backing to build a hospital, provided that they took charge.
The men agreed and in 1889 founded a clinic that soon attracted nationwide attention. Their little clinic grew.
The city was Rochester, Minnesota.
The elderly doctor’s name: William W. Mayo.
His sons: William J. and Charles Mayo.
Their clinic is called simply “The Mayo Clinic.” It now consists of over 500 physicians treating more than 200,000 people a year. It is known worldwide as one of the premier places of health, healing and excellence in medicine.
I’m sure if you asked the citizens of Minnesota about the Rochester tornado at the time, they would have said it was all about death and destruction, an unqualified disaster.
But in the perspective of better than a century, and in the hands of our Sovereign God, the tornado was really about life, help, and healing. (J. R. Love, Rushton, Louisiana; www.PreachingToday.com)
God is always up to something good, even in the tragedies of our lives. Our great and glorious God still reigns no matter what happens.
Revelation 4:3 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. (ESV)
God shines with a brilliance that can hardly be described. The author uses three of the most valuable stones he can think of to describe the beauty of our Lord. He uses the diamond white jasper, the ruby red carnelian, and the bright green emerald. Our Sovereign is a God of glory!
But more than that, He is also a God of grace. Look at who’s with Him in the throne room of heaven!
Revelation 4:4 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. (ESV)
Who will wear white garments in Heaven? According to Rev. 3:5, it's the overcomer, the believer. Who will wear a crown in Heaven? According to Rev. 2:10, it's the faithful one, the believer. Who will sit with God on His throne in Heaven? According to Rev. 3:21, it's the overcomer, the believer. Do you see it? WE are the ones sitting on those thrones with God! – I.e., we who are believers in Jesus Christ.
24 is a representative number for the believers of all ages. Revelation 21 gives us another view of heaven – the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven. Revelation 21:12 describes the city gates. There it says, “On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.” Those 12 tribes represent all the Old Testament believers, i.e., all those who came to faith in the Lord before Christ died on the cross. Revelation 21:14 describes the walls of that great city. There it says, “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” They represent all those who have come to faith in Christ subsequent to their witness and testimony. 12 represents the Old Testament Saints – those before Christ, and 12 represents the New Testament Saints – those after Christ, for a total of 24.
It’s the same 24 we have in Revelation 4, surrounding the throne of God. My friends, that that means you and I are there! – We who have trusted Christ. We're among those New Testament saints who came to faith after Christ died and rose again.
The point is: God will share his throne room with the likes of us! Can you believe it? What grace!
Someone once offered this picture of grace: If someone brutally murders your son and you take things in your own hands, that's revenge. If you're content to allow the law and the courts to arrest and punish the offender, that's justice. But if you pardon the murderer, adopt him, and take him home to live with you as your son, that's grace!
And that's exactly what God did for us. We brutally murdered His Son on the cross – It was OUR sins that put Him there – But God forgave us when we trusted Him. More than that, He adopted us, and He will take us to His heavenly home to live with Him as His children. But even more than that, He will let us rule and reign with Him as joint heirs with His Son, Jesus Christ. He’ll share His throne room with us.
Now, that’s grace! And in a time of tribulation, we need to remember that. In a time of tribulation, we need to see that our Sovereign God is full of grace and glory.
More than that, we need to see that our Sovereign God is strong and mighty. Look at vs.5a
Revelation 4:5a From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder… (ESV)
The voice of God thunders forth from the throne. Psalm 29 says:
The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The LORD, over many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars…
The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness.
And in His temple all cry, “Glory!”
God has a powerful voice. It’s a voice which spoke the worlds into existence. It’s a voice which breaks the cedars. It’s a voice which shakes the earth. In a time of tribulation, we can’t forget that. Our Sovereign God is strong and well able to take care of us in any situation.
A little girl listened attentively as her parents talked about the power of God. She was mesmerized by it all. After a while, she placed her hands on her father's knees and asked, “Daddy, how big is God.”
Her father thought for a moment and answered, “Honey, He is always just a little bigger than you need.”
I don't care how big the problem, God is always bigger! Don’t forget that in a time of tribulation. Don’t forget that our Sovereign God is full of grace and glory. Don’t forget that our Sovereign God is strong and mighty.
And don’t forget that our Sovereign God knows your need. He sees everything, and He is well aware of all that is happening in every place.
Revelation 4:5b And before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God. (ESV)
Now, these seven spirits are described as seven eyes in chapter 5, which are “sent out into all the earth” (vs.6). Seven is the number of perfection in the Bible. There are 7 lamps before the throne, which perfectly illuminate everything. In other words, God sees with perfect perception. His eyes are in all the earth. He is well aware of all that is happening.
Please, remember that in the midst of your trial. In a time of tribulation, remember that our Sovereign God knows your desperate need, but He is not in a panic. Even when the whole world is in turmoil, God is at peace. The throne room of heaven is calm.
Revelation 4:6a and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. (ESV)
That’s like a cool, clear lake on a windless day. The water is calm, like a sea of glass. When the whole earth is in turmoil, the control center of the Universe is calm, because God has it all under control.
A U.S. Navy nuclear submarine was on duty in the Mediterranean Sea. Many ships were passing overhead on the surface, and the submarine had to make a large number of violent maneuvers to avoid possible collisions.
The captain was in his own quarters at the time, and because there was such a sudden and unusual amount of movement he went to the bridge to find out what was going on.
“Is everything all right,” he asked.
“Yes sir!” came the reply.
The captain took a quick look around and then started back out through the hatch to leave the bridge. As he disappeared he said, “It looks alright to me too.”
All around that submarine potential danger of collision was lurking. It was enough to make anyone show concern. But that danger was outside. Down deep inside the sub was a quiet place where there could be absolute control of the ship's destiny. (Gordon MacDonald, Ordering Your Private World, p. 20)
That's the picture we have here in Heaven's throne room. When all around us is chaos and danger, in the control room of the universe, there's peace. There's a quiet place where God is in absolute control of our destiny.
In a time of tribulation, we need to see that. We need to see that God is Sovereign. We need to see that God has everything under control. Then 2nd, in times of tribulation, we need to
SEE THAT GOD IS SPECIAL.
We need to understand that there is no other sovereign like him. He is holy and unique, in a class all by himself, unlike any other ruler. That’s what the heavenly beings see.
Revelation 4:6b-8 And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 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. 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!” (ESV)
Unlike any other ruler, whose power is limited, Our God is Almighty! Unlike any other ruler, who lives and dies, Our God is eternal! He was, and is, and is to come. There is no beginning or end to His reign. He is the holy God – That means there is none like Him.
When Dorothy, the scarecrow, the lion, and the tin man were in need, they traveled to the Emerald city to see the great Wizard of Oz. After they walked down a long, dimly lit, gothic hallway, they were greeted with an explosion and billows of green smoke. When the smoke finally cleared, a giant, menacing, bodiless head shouts, “I am Oz, the great and terrible!”
They were terrified, until Toto pulled back a curtain and revealed a shriveled up old man at a console, pulling levers and speaking into a microphone. (The Wizard of Oz, MGM, 1939; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s the way it is with the rulers of this world. They have to put on a false show of power, because they’re mere men like the rest of us. Not so with the Lord, our God – He is the Holy One. That means He alone is great, and He alone is able to take care of any need.
In your time of tribulation, please understand that. See the God who is sovereign. See the God who is special, unlike any other sovereign. Then…
BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP HIM.
Give Him honor and praise, submit to Him like the rest of heaven does.
Revelation 4:9-11 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 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, “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.” (ESV)
One day we’ll ALL cast our crowns before His throne. We’ll acknowledge that He alone has the right to rule, because He alone created all things.
But why wait until then? Why not bow before Him today? In the midst of your pain, in the midst of your struggle, in the midst of your tribulation, just surrender to Him. Let Him have His way and His will in your life.
On May 17, 2008, Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman and his family suffered a devastating loss. That was the day his 17-year-old son was backing the family SUV out of the driveway and struck his 5-year-old adopted sister, Maria. Four days later, Maria died, and a couple months later, Chapman returned to his concert ministry, opening his concerts with Matt Redman’s song, “Blessed Be Your Name”.
It was the first song Chapman sang May 21, the day of Maria's death, when he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to sing again. Chapman says, “As I sang this song … it wasn't a song, it was a cry, a scream, a prayer.” However, he says, “I found an amazing comfort and peace that surpasses all understanding.”
After Maria’s death, Chapman reconsidered the words to all his songs and whether he could still sing – and believe – them. What he found was that losing his little girl brought the meaning of some of those songs into sharper focus.
This was especially true with his song, “Yours,” which addresses how everything in the world belongs to God. Chapman says, “I had to come to a new realization. There's not an inch of creation that God doesn't look at and say 'all of that's mine.” So Chapman added a new verse to the song:
I've walked the valley of death's shadow
so deep and dark that I could barely breathe.
I've had to let go of more than I could bear and
I've questioned everything that I believe.
Still even here in this great darkness
a comfort and a hope comes breaking through
as I can say in life or death
God we belong to you. (Elizabeth Diffin, “Still Blessing His Name,” Today's-Christian.com; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s what believers from all the ages have discovered: 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 (Revelation 4:11). God, we belong to You.
Do you want to find peace in the midst of your tribulation? Then like Chapman, and like the saints from all the ages, see the Holy God on His throne and surrender to Him.
