Worship God Selflessly Series

WORSHIP GOD SELFLESSLY

Revelation 4 & 5 (p863-864) June 30, 2013

INTRODUCTION:

[A man named Bill Crockett was delivering a motivational lecture to a group of young Navy Corpsmen…He says, “I spoke in great detail about my love for our country and about why joining the military meant so much to me…finishing my story, I pointed at a sharp looking sailor out in the audience and asked, “Son, why did you decide to go to sea?” “Well chief” he said, “My old man’s a farmer…and when I saw him put lights on the tractor, I knew it was time to leave the farm!!!]

That sailor knew how to read his future….He knew his future by watching his Dad. And when he saw his Dad put lights on the tractor he knew his future and the decisions he had to make.

It’s interesting that when John’s Revelation from Jesus begins to focus on the future the first thing it focuses on-is the Father.

Revelation 4: 1-11 (p863)

Jesus shows John “what must take place after this…In the first chapters, 2 & 3 we see the risen, glorified Christ walking among His churches on earth…Now the scene shifts to the throne room of heaven…Jesus opens a door for John to leave earth and enter heaven. It’s the same Niagara thundering voice that beckons John….”Come up here and I will show you what must take place after this…instantly John falls under the influence of God’s Spirit and he sees a throne…and the one seated on it…Instead of war, pestilence, famine, death and destruction that people associate with Revelation we find ourselves in God’s throne room witnessing the most amazing worship service recorder in scripture. The focus of that worship…

The One who sits on the throne, “The Lord God almighty”, has the appearance of Jasper and Ruby. A rainbow that share like an emerald encircled the throne…from this throne comes flashes of lightening, rumblings, and peals of thunder (4:3,5) surrounding this throne are 24 other thrones, and seated on them were 24 elders they’re dressed in white and have gold crowns on their heads. In front of the throne of the almighty 7 lamps were blazing, these are the 7 Spirits of God. Also in front of the throne was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal?”

And when you read on you discover 4 Living creatures in the center, around God’s throne…

Revelation 4: 6b-11

John’s fascinated with this picture….no darkness, no shadows, no flaws…and these 4 living creatures…the word that’s used to describe them is (Z Oa—Living Ones…we get our word “zoology” from this word)….These personnel guardians, attendants are worshippers around the throne…It’s not important what category of angel they are “Cherubim, Seraphim, unique correctness only to serve here, but these creatures are the closest to God, nearer then the elders…If closeness to God indicates importance…these are the most important beings ever created! These living ones are full of eyes front and back…all seeing. They take in all of God and everything else. Verse 7 describes them: the first, like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like that of a man, and fourth, was like an eagle. They each have 6 wings…they can travel, man! Why these creatures…well remember my advice to look through simple historical and emotional associations?

They are like the lion, the mightiest of beasts, the king (or leader) of the jungle indicates majesty and power. The ox or calf or bull is the strongest domesticated animal, typical of faithful labor and patience. The greatest bird, the eagle represents supreme sovereignty and supremacy. One was like a man, indicating intelligence. The four beings “suggest whatever is noblest, strongest, wisest and swiftest in animated Nature” (Swete, 71) or the created order.

So what’s going on here? If Jesus is showing John “what must take place after this…after the Churches…Why would the 1st thing Jesus take John to be is “a worship service?” Why, not just get down to “brass tacks…they nitty gritty?” We want to know about the battle between good and evil, Satan and god…but instead the first scene is the Throne Room of God and a worship service! Why start here? Because Jesus knew this is where we had to start!

I OUR FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON THE RIGHT THINGS.

When we read Revelation it’s possible to focus on the wrong things…to get so caught up in the “Mark of the beast” things that we lose sight of the big picture…the reason for the Revelation…People love juicy, scary, wild stuff…they like attaching real names to the beast…Hitler, Nero, Fill in the blank with someone you hate!...666 Rev. 13: 11-18, take the mark, worship the beast or die...it doesn’t sound like something that happens accidentally…it’s a choice, but when I looked up “Mark of the Beast” on the internet, here were some of the comments…