It’s Looking Better Already! | There’s Power in Your Praise, Pt. 3
"The place and preeminence and performance of God deserves our unending worship." - Pastor Charlie Dates
Revelation 4:1-11
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.
Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
God lifts John up and he gets to see something.
Chaos is everywhere in our world. There’s chaos in our lives as well.
The picture at the beginning of this chapter in Revelation is of a throne. The word “throne” shows up repeatedly in this text. And there’s someone on the throne who is in complete control.
The one on the throne isn’t moving. Everything around him is moving. But he isn’t.
God is seated on the throne in complete control not worried at all.
Though there is chaos down here, there is order ruling from up there. We cannot let the chaos of our lives make us think that God isn’t in control.
God is always working and still causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
We should worship God, not only for what he’s done but for what he hasn’t done yet. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean he isn’t about to do something amazing.
A Heavenly Perspective
John has been exiled to an island because of his role as a believer and apostle. It looks like the Christian faith is in trouble and the churches in Asia Minor are under pressure…
But right after John gets a revelation of how bad things are, the same voice comes to him and says he needs to move from where he is to heaven so he can see how things really look.
When we worship, we move from down here (the troubles and chaos of this world) to up there. And you get to see that just because things are crazy down here doesn’t mean they’re bad up there.
When you worship God and see him for who he is, you start to lose some of your anxiety.
Whenever the doors open in heaven or the heavens open in the Bible, radical things are going on.
The doors of heaven opened and God fed the Israelites in the wilderness with manna from heaven (Psalm 78:23-24).
In Matthew 3, Jesus is baptized and the heavens opened. Then, the Spirit of God visibly descended like a dove. 🕊️
In Acts 7, Stephen was being stoned. He looked up and saw the heavens open. And he saw someone standing.
What John saw was a church service…
When we get to heaven, we’ll be doing the same thing we do in church each Sunday. Worshipping God.
If you want to go to heaven, you better start practicing worshipping God on earth.
Why Do We Worship God?
We don’t get a picture of God in the text, but we do get a picture of his sovereign majesty.
We should worship God simply because of who and where he is.
At some point, our worship needs to graduate beyond what God has blessed us with.
At some point we have to mature past just celebrating what God has done us but focus on who God is.
If you just think about who he is and how wonderful he is, then your heart and your life will change.
He is beautiful, majestic, powerful, and wonderful. He is worthy of your worship.
Worship means to ascribe worth.
Everybody worships but not necessarily the right thing.
People spend money, cheer loudly, and argue over sports teams. Over people who don’t even know their name.
People worship themselves. When you consume everything God has given you and you treat yourself as if you’re more important than God, you’re worshiping yourself.
There’s only one person who’s worthy of our worship.
That person is God. He is King. And he never changes.
What Do We Do?
Worship is supposed to keep God at the center.
The rainbow, elders, and creatures are all around God.
Worship should not be all about us.
Worship should give us an exalted view of God.
If you don’t know what to say, you can say what they’re saying in heaven right now…
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the Lord God, the Almighty.
Reflection Questions
What does Revelation 4:1-11 reveal about the importance of worship in both heaven and on earth?
How can reflecting on who God is, rather than just what He’s done, deepen your relationship with Him?
What specific steps can you take this week to align your worship with God’s majesty, rather than your own desires or circumstances?