“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.’ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ He said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’ Abraham said, ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’ So they went both of them together.”
The first occurrence of a word in the Bible holds special significance. The context in which that word is used will inform us what the Lord God wishes to teach us. GENESIS 22:5 records the first occurrence of the word that is translated “worship.” The word occurs in the account that tells of Abraham being commanded to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. Clearly, Abraham and Isaac are not going up the mountain to sing worship songs nor to sway hypnotically as a worship team repeats monotonous lyrics to a rhythmic beat. The father and son are going up the mountain on a mission of solemn gravity. They will meet the Lord GOD, they will be blessed as the LORD provides not only what is immediately required to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, but they will receive rich promises that secure the future for their descendants.
In order to understand these things, and to equip ourselves to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth, we will examine what took place on that mount in Moriah so many millennia past. Let’s open the book to the account of worship presented at that time.
“AFTER THESE THINGS…” — The transitional phrase compels us to look forward. But what has gone before must be understood since all that lies before us in the account builds upon what has preceded. Abraham was proving himself to be a great man who was able to plead powerfully with God. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God changed his name to Abraham. The man who was once known as “Exalted Father” would henceforth be known as “Father of a Multitude” [see GENESIS 17:1-6].
Abraham’s faith wasn’t perfect, but it was nevertheless great. Though he had left his home to journey to a strange land God promised to give his descendants, he had difficulty believing God could give him descendants. At the insistence of his wife, at eighty-six years of age, he impregnated her servant rather than trust that God could do what He promised, which was to give him a son [see GENESIS 16:1-3].
Again, we see that Abraham’s faith was anything but perfect. There was the incident of sending Hagar away with the son Abraham had sired. Abraham had again given in to Sarah’s pique, resulting in sending Sarah’s servant and the son she had borne to Abraham at Sarah’s insistence to certain death in the desert. God intervened to spare the life of the boy, Ishmael, but the child would still be driven away. The descendants of Ishmael would become a source of conflict with the descendants of Isaac to this present day [see GENESIS 16:4-6].
When God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham demonstrated his power with God, pleading for the cities of the plain. Had so few as ten righteous people been found in Sodom, God pledged that He would spare the city. This was the divine promise given after Abraham interceded for the city. His intercession at first seemed tepid, but grew in boldness and intensity as He gained confidence in the LORD’s mercy and grace. Abraham continued pleading for Sodom until he had reached what he believed to be an acceptable threshold for sparing the city [see GENESIS 18:23-33].
From his days with Lot in the camp, Abraham believed his nephew was a worshipper of the Living God. Surely, Lot had led his wife and his daughters to faith in the LORD. Having lived in Sodom and risen to a position as a civic leader, he must surely have influenced some of those living in the city to look to God as King of Heaven! We know from the destruction of these cities that ten righteous people were not found in the city. Thus, God destroyed the cities of the plain and all those who lived there. Would we be prepared to plead for God to spare the great cities of our nation as did Abraham?
There was the growing tension between Abimelech and Abraham that eventually broke into open hostility over a well. The tension was resolved when Abraham made a covenant with Abimelech as Abimelech acknowledged that the disputed well had indeed been dug by Abraham’s servants. Thus, we have the account of the founding of Beersheba, the “Well of the Oath” [see GENESIS 21:22-33].
“After this…” Throughout the days of his life from the time God called him to leave his home and journey to a foreign land, the LORD had been with Abraham. He guided him and protected him even when the patriarch’s faith was less than perfect. What is significant about this fact is that we can gather insight into the presence of God with us from the day He called us until this moment. Our faith is no more perfect than was the faith exhibited by Abraham—it likely is far less perfect. I doubt that any of us would claim that we had greater faith than this great man of God. However, we can be confident that the Lord Who redeemed us has been with us, and will ever be with us.
Do you recall the hymn the Apostle cited as he drafted the final letter he would send to Timothy? The Apostle, remember a hymn that would have been sung in those early days of the Faith, wrote, “The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself” [2 TIMOTHY 2:11-13]. Our God has provided richly for us whom He has redeemed. The issue for us is no longer, “Is our faith great enough,” the comforting issue for us is that “He is faithful.”
But wait! Like the television pitchman says, “There’s more!” An unidentified writer reminds us as we read what he has written, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say,
‘The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?’”
[HEBREWS 13:5-6]
What is promised in these verses is but an iteration of the repeated promises we have received from the Son of God. Jesus promised that as a church we could depend upon His presence when we face hard tasks such as administering discipline: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” [MATTHEW 18:15-20].
We seek the Lord in times of trial, and we find Him because He is with us. Remember how the Saviour has promised, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” [JOHN 12:25-26].
The days may be trying at times as we walk through this dark vale we call now; but we who are following the Risen Lamb of God have received this rich promise: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” [JOHN 14:1-3].
You are unique, and the sum of the experiences of your life is unique. Those experiences combine to make you the person you are today. You may wish some of those experiences had never happened, but they did happen. You see, you can play the game of “might have been,” but reality is never going to change. I suppose all of us have tried to play the game of “what if,” but we never win at that game. “What if” is a fantasy and we must live with “what is.”
It is here that God transforms things for His beloved child. The sum of your experiences have combined to make you who you are, and if God has been brought into the equation, you have been spared from being utterly cast down because the Lord has been your Guide. While you likely have made some decisions you wish you could take back, you were nevertheless kept from the more dreadful consequences of your choices. What is past, is past; and what is now is the reality of your life. From the day you placed your faith in the Lord, the words of the Psalmist have held true for you:
“The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the LORD upholds his hand.”
[PSALM 37:23-24]
Abraham had made some decisions that were less than perfect, but he had done one thing that overrode all the missteps he would ever make—he had heard the voice of God calling him to obey, and he had submitted to the call God had given. I can’t speak for everyone, but I am quite certain that I can speak with a measure of authority for each one who has faith in the Son of God—looking at what is past, God is teaching you to say, “After these things…” From this point forward, you need never be victimised by what has been. From this point forward, you can rest confident in the knowledge that God is watching over you to ensure that you will fulfil His will for your life and to ensure that He is glorified. Because this is true, you will not be a victim—you will be a victor.
Whatever else may be true, know that God ain’t a junk dealer. And He has invested His very life in you to the praise of His glory. This is the message we see when Job testifies,
“He knows the way I have taken;
when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.”
[JOB 23:10 CSB]
The words of the tormented patriarch anticipate the testimony for all who follow the Christ as delivered by the Apostle to the Jews. Peter writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” [1 PETER 1:3-9].
Saint of God, don’t live in the past, don’t live in the “might have been.” From the moment Christ redeemed you, He planned for you to succeed in the tasks He has assigned. You must never allow yourself to bemoan what has gone before; but rather, you must look forward with confidence that God, Who never makes a mistake, has destined you to glorify His Name. And when Christ Jesus returns in His glory, know that you shall be present with Him to reign. He will be glorified in you, and in all the redeemed whom He will bring with Him in that day. Know that when God redeemed you, your life’s story was rewritten, beginning with this phrase, “After these things…”
THE TESTS EACH CHRISTIAN WILL FACE — Are you a follower of the Risen Lord of Glory? Then know that in this life you will be tested. You will face times that will compel you to question whether you should continue holding to your faith. The testing that God permits you to face is not an effort to discover whether your faith is genuine; the testing you will experience is to reveal the reality of God’s grace.
For years, I made ammunition for a custom rifle maker. When I had made the loads, they had to be tested. The testing was not to discover whether the ammunition would ignite, but it was to demonstrate the reliability of the firearms. That is the situation when the redeemed child of God is tested. God is not testing whether the follower of Christ is saved—He is demonstrating for all to see that His grace is sufficient to secure the saved individual as she or he pass through the storms of life.
The Apostle to the Jews writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” [1 PETER 1:3-7]. Peter says that the trials we face as followers of Christ are designed to reveal the “genuineness of [our] faith!” That puts a different spin on things. There is purpose in the testing we endure.
Later, he will encourage those to whom he wrote—people who knew more than a little of what it meant to suffer, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” [1 PETER 4:12-14].
So trials, testing that the Lord permits in the life of His child, has a purpose. To be sure, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” [1 CORINTHIANS 10:13]. There is real comfort, great encouragement, to be found in these words.
You may recall the words of an unknown writer in this context, who has provided encouragement for the one experiencing such trials. The passage in question will be found in HEBREWS 12:3-13. I will be reading from the NET BIBLE, SECOND EDITION . “Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed in your struggle against sin. And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons?
‘My son, do not scorn the Lord’s discipline
or give up when he corrects you.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves
and chastises every son he accepts.’
“Endure your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? But if you do not experience discipline, something all sons have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons. Besides, we have experienced discipline from our earthly fathers and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life? For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness. Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.”
When the follower of Christ is tested, almost assuredly things are happening behind the veil—things that are unseen and things that cannot be known at this time. Do you recall how the half-brother of our Lord begins the brief missive he wrote for those who name the Name of Christ Jesus? James wrote, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” [JAMES 1:2-4].
James continues by noting that drawing a distinction between testing may arise from surrendering to our own desires, and testing. Testing will benefit the child of God because God will reward His child who endures testing; but there is a distinction between testing and temptation, which is costly since it has no eternal value for the Christian. James writes, “Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death” [JAMES 1:12-15 NET BIBLE 2nd].
As he nears the conclusion of his missive, James returns to the theme of the testing we who follow the Christ will face when he refocuses our attention on the suffering of Job. The brother of our Lord writes, “Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” [JAMES 5:11].
Job reminds us that we cannot know the source of our testing in some instances. In order to understand this, recall how the account of Job’s suffering begins. “There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, ‘From where have you come?’ Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?’ Then Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.’ And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD” [JOB 1:6-12].
What makes the head swim is that the hammer blows Job experienced were not ended after one bout. Satan requested, and was permitted to hammer Job still more. Here is the account as provided in the Book of Job. “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said to Satan, ‘From where have you come?’ Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.’ Then Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.’ And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life’” [JOB 2:1-6].
How did it turn out for Job? God was proven true in His assessment of Job. Though Satan attempted to provoke Job to deny God, the faith of the old saint was demonstrated as genuine. God was glorified even through the trials Job endured. Was Job’s faith perfect? Not at all! But the faith he had was focused on the Living God, and the old saint would not give in to the temptation to curse God. Ultimately, it was Job who prayed for those who attempted to explain his misery by blaming God.
There is one point that must be made to ensure that we understand what happened. The Adversary, for that is the meaning of the name “Satan,” accused Job. Whenever we see Satan, he is accusing the saints of God [e.g. ZECHARIAH 3:1-2]. He is also known as “the devil,” a term that means “slanderer,” for Satan’s accusations are slander. What is encouraging for the child of God is that though the Adversary slanders that child, there is One Who stands for righteousness and Who pleads for the saint before the Father’s throne. The Apostle of Love writes, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” [1 JOHN 1:5-9].
Satan may slander and even assail the child of God, but the wicked one can do nothing that is not permitted by a Father Who is too wise to make a mistake and too good to needlessly hurt His child. Satan must seek permission before he can attack God’s child; he is always restrained by the will of God. And when the testing that has been permitted by God is finished, it will be evident that “Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold—gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away—and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” [1 PETER 1:7 NET BIBLE 2nd]. God will be glorified and you will be justified in your faith.
But in our text, the test Abraham endures was sent by God Himself! It suggests that some testing is designed and administered by God Himself for His own purposes. We obey because He is God, and in the process we reveal the character of our faith. The “angel of the LORD,” Christ Himself, testifies, “Now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me” [GENESIS 22:12b].
I was a young Christian, having only come to faith in the Risen Lord a few years before the events that tested my faith beyond anything I could have imagined to that point in my walk of faith. There would be other tests, but this was the most memorable test to challenge my faith. In October of 1970 I received a definite call to preach the Gospel of Christ. I immediately began preaching in a prison farm some forty-five miles from my home. I would attend services in the Trinity Temple Baptist Church before putting on my leathers and riding my Suzuki 500 to the prison farm where I would declare the message of life to those men, and the occasional woman, incarcerated there.
Those were exciting days as we witnessed the salvation of some of those men who were incarcerated behind those foreboding stone walls. When men would profess Christ, I would arrange with the warden for them to be baptised in a stock pond on the prison grounds. When they had completed their sentences, we would assist them in finding a church where they could worship and grow in the Faith of Christ the Lord. I would often help the men to find work, sometimes attending court with them as they settled past charges, and on a few occasions we allowed men to stay in our home until they were able to find a place of their own to live.
There was a cost to my preaching, as the graduate studies committee and the faculty senate passed multiple resolutions that no student could have a vocation or an avocation other than the field in which they were studying. So, the threat each semester was that I would be dismissed from my studies and forced to cease advancing toward the goal of a doctoral degree. Since I had brought in several research grants early on, I was paying my own way, which shielded me from the threatened consequence of preaching each weekend. Still, there were pressures arising from constant threats. God was gracious, and He gave me courage to stand firm in my faith.
God had blessed our family with a daughter even before either Lynda or I had come to faith. A few years later, the Lord blessed us with a second beautiful daughter. She was only a few months old when my faith was tested more severely than I could ever imagine. I recall the events of that day quite clearly, though I don’t often speak of them. It was my habit to arise at four o’clock to allow me at least an hour to read the Scriptures and time for prayer before my day at the medical school began. I would ride my motorcycle to the school to begin my work by seven, seldom coming home before seven or eight in the evening. So, those times in the quietness of the morning afforded me opportunity to worship, allowing the Lord to speak to me through the Word and giving me opportunity to petition Heaven for those things that might weigh on my heart.
That morning had been unusually disturbing for me. I had read the Scriptures and had begun to pray. Having read the account of the Risen Christ restoring Peter to service, it was as if the voice of God spoke, asking if I loved the Saviour more than all else. You will no doubt recall Jesus asking Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these” [JOHN 21:15b]? Peter answered the Lord, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you” [JOHN 21:15c]. Christ was drawing Peter to realise that despite his momentary failure when he denied the Lord, God wasn’t finished with him. Peter’s greatest service to the Master lay before him. When God challenged me that morning, it was hard on the heel of a momentary eclipse of my faith, and I was chagrined to discover that I was not as bold as I hoped. When the Lord challenged me that morning, I recall that I quickly assured Him that I loved Him more than all else. Almost immediately, the challenge came to me, “Do you love me more than your daughters?”
I was shocked by this challenge that formed in my mind, but in my heart I assured God that I loved Him more than even my daughters. The challenge did not cease, but it became more demanding still. “Will you surrender your daughters to me? Will you trust me with the lives of your daughters?” I struggled to answer, but at last I concluded that I could trust God with the lives of my girls. The challenge to entrust my daughters into God’s hand was real—so real that I was shaken that such an exchange had even taken place. My surrender of these precious girls into God’s hands was accomplished only after an extended struggle.
I went to work at 6:30 that morning, riding my Suzuki 500 down Stemmons Freeway. I was deep into a research procedure when about 1:30 that afternoon the phone in the laboratory rang. My mentor was in the laboratory at that precise moment, and Rene took the call. Whatever had been said to him was disturbing since he turned pale and appeared ready to collapse. Then, his voice adopting a serious tone, Rene said, “Mike, I think you had better sit down. That was the sheriff phoning. There’s been an accident. An ambulance is bringing Lynda to the hospital.”
My mind exploded with questions that could not be immediately answered. There had been an auto crash; a semitruck and trailer carrying forty ton of cement had slammed into the car on highway 67, and Lynda was being transported to Parkland Hospital by ambulance. Nothing was said about either Susan or Rochelle. I knew Lynda would not go anywhere without the girls, and Rene was adamant that the sheriff had said nothing of my daughters. At once, my mind turned to the struggles I had passed through during the early morning hours when I had surrendered my daughters into the hands of the Lord Jesus. Saying I trusted Christ with the welfare of my daughters was far easier than committing them to His care. From this time forward I would be compelled to trust Him.
The ambulance was rushing down Stemmons Freeway to the Parkland Hospital as I left the laboratory to go down the stairs and exit the building to walk over to the ER. By the time I walked across the parking lot and entered the building, my wife would be arriving and I would learn the fate of my family. In a moment of time, my world was crashing down around me. As I trudged toward that door leading into the building, I was deep in prayer. I was confessing my trust in the Lord Who had redeemed my life. And as I walked, it seemed as if I heard His voice assuring me that my family was safer with Him than they would ever be if dependent on my oversight. The ambulance was backing into the docking bay as I walked through the emergency room.
One great truth I learned that day is that God is God, not a man. God is worthy of worship, worthy to be honoured and obeyed, just as all the redeemed shall do in Heaven. “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!’”
[REVELATION 4:6b-8]
The holy angels worship the Lord always.
But here is the part that we are prone to forget. In Heaven, we will worship continually. The Revelator wrote, “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.’”
[REVELATION 4:9-11]
Does this sound boring, repetitious, so dull and deadening that you can’t stand the thought of eternally worshipping God? It only seems boring because we have not been in the presence of the Living God. When we have even once found ourselves in His presence, we will be eager to again be where He is. We will never be bored with Him because He is Infinite, and we will find ourselves lost in wonder, and praise, and adoration as we seek to discover new facets of His majesty in each moment of eternity.
There is a new song the redeemed saints of God, the glorified followers of the Lamb, shall sing before the Lamb. John saw the saints as they worshipped, and he wrote, “Between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,
‘Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.’
“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!’
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’
And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped” [REVELATION 5:6-14].
That’s my anticipation! I’ll be among the saints in eternity falling down and worshipping the True and Living God, and worshipping the Lamb of God Who died in my place. I’ll be in Heaven, not because I belong there, not because I was a good person, not because I deserved the grace I received—I’ll be in Heaven because the Son of God died for me and rose to justify me. It is all because of Jesus my Lord. There is nothing about me or about my days on earth that will ever tarnish or defile Heaven. It is all about Jesus and the grace of God. Therefore, worship can never be boring, either now or in eternity, because I will be exploring throughout all eternity the glorious facets, the boundless character, the unending revelations of the infinite God and the grace He with which He has showered me. And that is the promise for each one who is drawn and thus follows the Risen Lord of Glory. Believe Him and receive His promise, even this day. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
