July 13, 2003
Morning Service
Text: Revelation 5:1-14
Subject: Worship
Title: Every Knee Shall Bow and Every Tongue Confess
Worship is an important factor in church growth. Some of the things that attract people to a church are solid preaching and a lively worship service. On the other hand, some of the things that keep people coming to church are solid preaching and a lively worship service. The preaching is my responsibility. The worship is partially mine too, but you as the body of Christ play a huge part in determining if the worship will be lively or not.
There is a story about a church that had a man in the choir who couldn’t sing. Others tried to help him find other places of ministry in the church but he insisted on being in the choir. The choir director became so desperate that he went to the pastor.
“Pastor, you have to do something with brother Jones. If you can’t persuade him to leave the choir then I quit and most of the choir will quit too. Help us!”
The pastor went to the man and suggested that he leave the choir.
“Why should I leave?”
“Several people have told me you can’t sing”
“That’s nothing. Fifty have told me you can’t preach! You are still here.”
Of course, worship has nothing to do with whether you can sing or not. It is about the attitude of your heart.
What is worship? According to A. W. Tozer worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call Our Father Which Are in Heaven.
A.W. Tozer
Today we are going to look at a passage from the future and find out whom it is we worship, why we worship, and how we should worship.
I. Who do we worship? (Verses 1-7)
A. None of God’s creation is worthy. God holds out a scroll that was sealed with seven seals. A strong angel cries out, “”Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” Notice that this scroll is unusual. It is written on the front and the back. In John’s time a scroll that would be copied to sell would only be written one side. However, if it were one’s personal possession, it would likely have writing on both sides. God holds out a scroll that has writing on both sides and is sealed with seven seals. It was God’s possession and had His seal on it. It was a legal document (a testament) and only the testator could break the seal. John stood back and wept because he knew that no one was able to open the scroll. “No one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.” John wept because he knew that if there was no one worth to break the seals, then God’s eternal purpose of judgment and blessing for the world could not be completed.
B. In verse 5 one of the elders has good news. “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” These titles for Jesus the Messiah are an indication that He is the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. Now notice the difference between Jesus the lion and the enemy of your souls. 2nd Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober and vigilant; because your adversary, the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” The enemy comes but to kill, steal, and destroy, but the Lion of Judah came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus not only was a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies as far as the Messiah is concerned, He also was the perfect sacrifice to reconcile people to the Father.
C. It took a Lamb to do that work. Verse 6, “and I looked and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” Christ appears here as the sinless Lamb of God. He bore the marks of His death yet as indicated by the seven horns, He was omnipotent (all powerful). He was stained with blood because of the sin of mankind as He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, “yet He opened not His mouth”, but He is omniscient (all knowing) (the seven eyes). He gave up His eternal throne in heaven to come and walk the earth, limited by time and space, yet He is seen as One having the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth (he is omnipresent).
D. Who then is to be worshiped? Jesus, the only One who was worthy to come and take the scroll out of the right hand of the Father. He is the worthy One.
II. How do we worship? (Verses 8-13)
A. The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures (angels) fall down before the Lamb, and sing a new song. What makes them sing a new song? The Old Testament saints worshiped God Because He was their protector; Psalm 3:3, “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head.” They worshiped Him as their provider, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” He is the deliverer. Psalm 18:48, “He delivers me form my enemies. You will also lift me up above those who rise against me.” He is merciful. Psalm 103:1-5, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your youth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” God is still all those things to those who trust Him. So why sing a new song? Because the work that Jesus did on a cross is a new work. The Old Testament saints could not worship God for His redemption through the blood of the sinless Lamb. They could only hope in the promises of a loving God. We now worship God because we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. “Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation … have made us kings and priests to our God. And we shall reign on the earth.” That’s new!
B. We worship with loud voices. John sees something new in his vision now. Multitudes (ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice, “worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” Multitudes surrounding the throne of God worshiping the Lamb and the Father. Look at the words used in worship; power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, blessing. It is the redeemed saints who are crying out to God in worship because of the Lamb who was slain for their redemption. The angels have no need to offer praise for their redemption for those who remained in heaven do not need redemption. They are faithful to God and remain in His presence. It is the saints who worship this way. Although the angels have not experienced salvation, they have observed it and therefore can worship God as well.
C. All of creation will worship. “And every creature … I heard saying …”. In Philippians 2:9-11 Paul tells us why we worship Jesus. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on the earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Even those who remain in Sheol (the abode of the dead where the unrighteous dead remain till the judgment) will worship Him as Lord.
D. We worship in unity (verse 14). The four living creatures said, “Amen”. “So be it” or “Yes, it’s true.” The angels know the truth. They know God’s plan of redemption for mankind. They know the promise that the future holds for those who are redeemed and they are happy about it.
E. We worship in reverence. The twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him. They acknowledge who the Lamb is.
Worship isn’t about a style of music. It is more than singing songs. It transcends actions and words. Worship comes from confession of who God is and the attitudes of our hearts concerning Him. It is about the excitement of knowing the promises of God’s word and the end of the story, which is just a beginning. Worship is about forgetting yourself and getting lost in who Jesus is. Imagine with me if you would the picture we get from Revelation 19. “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Imagine that we are the Bride of Christ, the one for whom He died, to clean us up for the wedding feast. Imagine the angels who have been in His presence since their creation and still cry out, “Holy, Holy, Holy as they fly around the throne. Picture in your mind the awesome sight of the multitudes that stretch out so far in every direction that you can’t even see the end of them, yet they fall down in unison, and sing new songs in perfect harmony, and worship in unity. Is that the promise of things yet to come? Yes, but it is a pattern for us to follow now. Te elders around the throne aren’t concerned with what others think of their worship. Their concern is to worship. But Pastor Mike, they are in the visible presence of the living God. They should be excited about their worship. I have news for you. You are in the visible presence of Almighty God. Jesus said that if two or more of you come together in my name, I’ll be there with you. Look around. Are there two or more here today? Then Jesus is here too. His manifest presence is among us in the one standing right next to you.
Earlier I told you that lively worship services attract and keep people. I am not speaking of making lots of noise so visitors think there is something going on here. I’m talking about real heart-felt worship. The kind that doesn’t care what the person next to you thinks. The kind of worship where as far as you are concerned, the only people involved are you and God. It is the type of worship that looks back on God’s mercies and forward to his promises. It is the kind of worship we see taking place in heaven.
If you are watching others, you aren’t worshiping. If you are concerned about others watching you, put that aside and just worship the Lord.
In the summer of 1996 there was a new couple in a church in eastern Missouri. They had been involved with some home groups where they played and sang songs of worship. Being new to the church they never had much opportunity to lead worship, but that summer the elderly man who was the worship leader needed to spend much time with his ailing mother so the new couple were asked to lead worship on Wednesday nights. Being new to the church they were not caught up in what style of music the people wanted to hear. They just knew that they were called to lead worship and that is what they were going to do. He played his guitar and together they sang songs to the Lord, not just about Him, and they worship without care about what others thought. One particular night the Holy Spirit began to move across the small group gathered there and as the leaders sang their songs of worship to the risen Lord a strange occurrence took place. As I led the singing that night, and Charlotte sang back up, we could hear each other’s voices in the monitors. But somewhere between “I Exalt Thee” and “Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place” a third voice entered into the worship from somewhere behind us – not coming out of the monitors, and in perfect harmony. That night I’m sure that an angel was worshiping with us. That is the kind of worship I expect every time we come together.
Should it happen all the time? I am sure that what happened that night was for us to know that our worship was pure enough for the angels to join in. I don’t know if it should happen always, but I do know that God appreciates worship from a pure heart.
Where is your heart for worship?
