Sermon Tone Analysis

Title:        You Can Never Imagine!

Text:        Revelation 4:1-11.

CIT: John is invited to heaven and sees God’s throne.

\\ Theme:            Learning about the throne of God and things to come.

Purpose:  Didactic~/Salvation~/Praise.

Introduction

 

        When many savings and loan institutions failed in 1989, the federal government had to dispose of numerous properties.

One was most interesting was the six acre NcCune mansion in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

It was built in the 1960's by Walker NcCune for his young bride.

The house contains 53,000 square feet and includes an ice skating rink, an Olympic swimming pool, a fourteen car garage, its own beauty salon, guest house, and a ballroom with an $80,000 chandelier.

Oddly enough, Mrs. NcCune didn’t like it and refused to move in.

She never lived in it.

Perhaps there are others who don’t like Paradise Valley, AZ, and wouldn’t be satisfied with the NcCune Mansion but no one will be dissatisfied with the mansion Christ has prepared for us in heaven.

There are no chapters of the Bible so exciting, so thrilling, and so worshipful as chapters 4 and 5 of the Book of Revelation.

The Lord welcomes us to heaven and gives us a brief look at what heaven looks like, what takes place there, and what we can anticipate for ourselves in the future.

I invite you to travel along with John and me as we take a tour of God’s throne room in heaven this morning.

First, see:

 

I.

The Words of Invitation to the Throne (v 1).

/After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven.

And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”/

The first vision John saw included a beautiful revelation of the Person of Jesus Christ, and it included a message from His lips to be sent to the seven churches in Asia Minor.

According to the outline Jesus gave us in Revelation 1:19, John was to write /“what he saw” /about the risen Christ, these are the Book of John and the Epistles of I, II, & III John, and Revelation 1; about/ “things which are,”/ this was the letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor in revelation 2 and 3; and /“the things which take place after this,”/ which refers to everything John saw from Revelation 4:1 until the end of the book.

I see two things here:

 

        a.

The Vision He Saw.

John saw /“an open door in heaven.”/

It reminds us of Ezekiel’s prophecy where /“the heavens were open and I saw visions of God.” / Recently, we saw an open door which could never be shut for all true believers in Christ.

The last time heaven opens is when John sees the Lord on a white charger sent from heaven to join in the battle of Armageddon.

What a wonderful day that will be, when my Savior I shall see.

What a glorious day that will be when the Jesus calls me home through those open doors just like He does John here in our Scriptures.

Amen!

Second, see:

 

        b.

The Voice He Heard.

John heard a voice inviting him to heaven.

It was /“like a trumpet speaking with me.”/

I believe that daily Jesus looks down from heaven and invites certain believers to come home.

I believe that is what happens when people die.

I think it will be something simple like here, /“Come up here!”

/ I also believe that there is going to be one day that Jesus will call His church home.

Those who are dead in Christ will rise first and then those of us who are alive will follow.

I believe it will also be something simple.

Oh, it will be a trumpet call, but simple,/ “Come up here!”

/ And, the Bible tells us there is going to be a day when Jesus calls all of humanity from the grave for the great White Throne of Judgment.

Can I ask you a question?

Will you be ready when He calls?

Second, see:

 

II.

The Wonders Of The Throne (vv 2-7).

/Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.

And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.

And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices.

Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

/

/Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal.

And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.

The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle./

What a spectacular sight this must have been for John.

Amen!

Human words are totally inadequate to describe what John sees, but they will have to do until we see it ourselves.

Jesus wants us to /“behold”/ what takes place and is described here.

Notice first,

 

        a.

Who Is On The Throne.

The first thing John saw was a throne in heaven.

This throne is above all other thrones.

Before John can do much more than notice the throne, he sees someone setting on the throne itself.

He tells us later that its God Himself.

Human words failed at this point.

God’s form simply has the /“appearance of jasper and a sardius stone.”/

We really are not sure what these precious jewels were and they don’t seem to symbolize anything.

Simply said, this is the only way John could explain what he saw.

Imagine the brilliant reflected colors of reds and greens as they flashed off of God’s throne.

Along with the rainbow around God’s throne, they create an impression of transcendent glory.

b.

What Was Around the Throne.

There are three things around the throne.

Lets quickly look at these.

First:

 

        1.

The Rainbow.

The throne of God is not surrounded by danger signs or warning lights.

It’s surrounded by a rainbow emblematic of God’s faithfulness and His grace.

Someone has said that on earth we only see half of the rainbow, when we get to heaven, we will see the whole thing.

How truly beautiful that will be.

God is faithful.

He is full of grace.

I am totally convinced that grace is not the beginning thing — it’s the whole thing.

God is looking for people to bless who won’t take credit by saying, “It’s my praying or my witnessing or my spirituality or intense study,” but rather, “It’s only grace that has brought me thus far.”

You see, grace is the only thing that truly allows the Lord to get all the glory.

His Amazing Grace.

Next,

 

        2.

The Elders.

Their joint rule with Christ, their white garments, and their golden crowns all seem to indicate that these 24 represent the redeemed.

The question is which redeemed?

Not Israel, since the nation is not yet saved, glorified, and coronated.

That is still to come.

Their resurrection and glory will come at the end of the 7 year tribulation time.

Tribulation saints aren’t yet saved.

Guess what, only one group will be complete and glorified at that point — the church.