The Story of Worship

And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left;

Ps 89:6-7

Psalm 89:6–7 ESV

For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?

Dan 7:9-10

Daniel 7:9–10 ESV

“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.

This King being worshipped in both the OT and here in Revelation is the same King, God.

In our passage this morning we see three facets to the worship of this King.

Worship at His Throne (vs. 1-5)

Worship His Holiness (vs. 6-8)

Worship the Creator (vs. 9-11)

Next week, Lord willing, in chapter 5, we will see how our worship of God is fulfilled through the Lamb.

When we think of worship we tend to think of music, of singing worship.

Now, worship is more than singing,

But we do see songs of praise and adoration as a common form of worship frequently throughout Revelation.

We see two different choruses of praise in vs. 8 and 11 of our chapter this morning.

In chapter 5, vs. 9 and 13 are two more examples.

But it continues, look at the number of times worship is expressed through singing in Revelation 7:12; 11:15; 12:10-12; 15:3-4; 19:1-3, 5-8;

When people think of Revelation we tend to think of the end of the world,

We think of weird scenes and creatures,

We may think of scary sounding circumstances,

But these songs of worship to God remind us that Revelation is primarily a book about God and His awesomeness.

It is revealing His greatness to us.

You see, all the other parts of Revelation;

The end of the world, the weird scenes and creatures, the scary circumstances,

They all are centered around God

And they all point to a world that is overwhelmed by His majesty that the only thing we can do in response is to sing out in worship of Him.

Don’t believe me?

Listen to what awaits this world in Rev. 21:22-23; 22:3-5;

Revelation 21:22–23 ESV

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Revelation 22:3–5 ESV

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Therefore every creature in heaven and earth will fall down in worship of Him who is seated on the throne;

R.C. Sproul provides great encouragement with his reminder of how pertinent Revelation is;

“When God’s people are beset by temptation or persecution, a revelation of God’s character and glory is the best remedy. His power guarantees the final victory, His justice guarantees vindication of the right, His goodness and magnificence guarantee blessing and comfort. The blood of the Lamb demonstrates that redemption has already been accomplished.”

WE: Worship At His Throne (vs. 1-5)

This is the God we fall down and worship.

We join others gathered around God to Worship at His throne.

We see this in Rev. 4:1-5;

Revelation 4:1–5 ESV

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,

After the seven letters, an open door is revealed to the Apostle John.

John looks and sees that this door is a doorway into heaven.

Then he hears this powerful voice that sounds more like the horn of a trumpet.

This voice calls him up for a special revelation.

At this point, John is walking in the footsteps of Moses and the Apostle Paul,

Who both were similarly called up for their special revelations.

Moses went up to Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19

And Paul was caught up to heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:2.

John’s special revelation here is described as what must take place after this.

This draws us back to the command Jesus gave to John in Rev. 1:19;

Revelation 1:19 ESV

Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.

If you remember way back when we started Revelation,

We talked about how this verse serves as a natural outline for the entire book.

Chapter 1 was a Revelation of the past, the things that you have seen.

Chapters 2-3 were the present when Revelation was written, those that are.

And chapters 4 through the end of the book reveal the future, those that are to take place after this.

Now this seems to only be a rough outline because each portion also includes references to all three periods.

But Rev. 4:1 then becomes a natural transition.

“What must take place after this” signals the beginning of the primary section of this book.

Right at the start of this chapter,

This voice is telling John, from here on out is a revelation of the future.

Immediately, John is in the Spirit.

This is something we see throughout Revelation.

The Spirit takes John to these specific vantage points to see what is being revealed from those perspectives.

For example Rev. 17:3; 21:10;

Revelation 17:3 ESV

And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 21:10 ESV

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,

Lord willing, we will examine these two perspectives in greater detail when we get there.

But the vantage point we see this morning is of a throne in heaven.

Communicating one of the most prominent themes in Revelation,

And that is the theme of God’s kingly reign and authority.

The throne imagery is different from the OT.

In the OT, it was the Tabernacle and the Temple that served as shadows of God’s throne room,

Hebrews 8:5-6 explains;

Hebrews 8:5–6 ESV

They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

So, the tabernacle and temple are these earthly copies of the real throne in heaven,

Which God is revealing to John in Revelation 4.

Because Revelation shows the real deal heavenly throne,

It only makes sense that the book would include several allusions to the OT temple which served as the earthly copy.

Eight different times, the temple serves as an allusion,

For times sake, I won’t read them all, but you can see the references listed on the screen here:

Rev. 3:12; 7:15; 11:19; 14:15, 17; 15:5-16:1; 16:17; and 21:22.

Not only does the temple itself serve as an allusion,

But the elements within the OT temple are sprinkled throughout Revelation as well.

We saw the lamps back in chapter 1, also alluded to in our passage this morning.

There are cherubim, incense, the sacrificial Lamb in chapter 5,

In chapter 11 alone we see the altar, the outer court, and the ark of the covenant.

And in our passage this morning, we see songs of praise being offered up,

Similar to what may have been the first worship band in the temple, seen in 1 Chronicles 16:4-7;

1 Chronicles 16:4–7 ESV

Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God. Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers.

Asaph and the brothers may or may not have been their band name.

All of these allusions to the OT temple are meant to draw us to worshipping God.

Because the temple was where God’s people could worship in His presence on earth.

But as we have stated, it was only a copy of the authentic throne that is in heaven,

Where unfiltered worship can take place in God’s direct presence.

But John’s description starts rather underwhelming.

He sees a throne and one seated on the throne...

Really John?

That’s it?

You can’t give us anything more than He is the One on the throne!?

What’s up with that?

Well, it is interesting,

John has been describing all of these glorious things he has been seeing,

He has seemed to almost struggle how to communicate these things.

Because the glory of God exceeds our human comprehension.

And that is likely the case here,

John sees the Lord on the throne and he is left awestruck, unable to say anything other than Christ is the one on the throne.

But it is not like John does not give any description of Christ’s glory,

We studied one example back in Revelation 1:12-20.

But after his underwhelming start to his description this morning,

John does make an attempt at describing the glory of Christ on the throne in vs. 3,

As well as the worship that is happening around this throne.

This description includes the appearance of precious stones,

And around the throne we see what?

That’s right, a rainbow.

In our culture today, the rainbow tends to have a different association.

As a result, most Christians tend to disassociate with the rainbow.

This is a pet peeve of mine, because the rainbow is a symbol of God’s promises.

And as Christians we should redeem the rainbow,

Let’s make it a hashtag online, #RedeemTheRainbow.

Let’s embrace the rainbow, display rainbows unashamedly and when people come expecting one thing,

We can use that as an opportunity to explain what the rainbow represents in the Bible.

A symbol of God’s promises.

The rainbow is around the throne of Christ in heaven.

In vs. 4, he paints this scene with these 24 elders also circled around Christ’s throne.

These elders could be some sort of angelic given the title elder as an indication of their wisdom.

But there is a strong argument that these elders serve as an analogy of human elders shepherding churches here on earth.

Which would make the elders a representation of the church here.

They are described as being clothed in white and wearing golden crowns.

This is the attire that victorious believers wear throughout Revelation.

Presenting this scene where we, as Christ’s victorious church, are gathered around His throne worshipping Him.

But the focal point of this scene is the throne and the power of the one who is on it.

Look at John’s description of this power in vs. 5.

Flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder.

Very similar to the description of God when He revealed Himself on Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19.

This is displayed repeatedly throughout Revelation and when God revealed Himself to Ezekiel in the opening chapter of Ezekiel.

This description shows us that this is more than a visual revelation,

There is an auditory component to it as well.

The rumblings and peals of thunder represent the power of Christ’s voice.

Hebrews 12:26-27 foreshadow the future shaking our world will experience in response to His powerful voice.

Hebrews 12:26–27 ESV

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

This description of the throne room still is not finished,

At the end of vs. 5 we see seven torches of the seven spirits of God before the throne.

These seven torches are seven light sources, just like we saw seven lampstands back in Rev. 1:12.

What did those lampstands symbolize?

The light-bearing function of Christ’s churches.

Back in chapter 1, Christ was walking among the lampstands as Lord and Shepherd of His churches.

Now the seven torches of fire are reflecting the light of Christ on His throne!

And we have talked about on multiple occasions that the seven spirits of God is a phrase referencing the Holy Spirit.

Because seven represents the perfect number,

And we see the sevenfold description of the Holy Spirit in Zechariah 4:6 as evidence that this phrase references the Holy Spirit.

So, putting together this entire phrase;

The burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God.

Reveals that Christ’s Holy Spirit-indwelt Church is gathered around Christ on His throne,

Reflecting the light of His glory in worship of Him!

GOD: Worship His Holiness (vs. 6-8)

And He is worthy of worship, because of His holiness.

Look with me at Rev. 4:6-8 to see how we Worship His Holiness;

Revelation 4:6–8 ESV

and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And 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!”

The sea of glass in vs. 6 is intended to suggest worship.

We learn this later in Revelation 15:2;

Revelation 15:2 ESV

And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.

The conquerors stand beside this sea of glass worshipping God with harps in hand.

In both these passages, the sea of glass calls to mind the Red Sea,

Where the waters of the Red Sea were pushed back for God’s people and the enemy was defeated,

Which really foreshadowed what we are seeing in Revelation, that is,

God’s final victory over evil.

You see, like the Red Sea, this sea of glass in Revelation paints a picture of waters being subdued under God’s power.

But this sea of glass is described in much more beautiful terms than the Red Sea.

The sea is said to be like crystal,

Combined with the other precious stones earlier in vs. 3;

The jasper and carnelian and emerald,

Communicate the magnificent worth and majesty of Christ and His throne.

After this sea of glass we see four living creatures around the throne.

These four creatures are reminiscent of the creatures from Ezekiel 1

And the Cherubim from Ezekiel 10,

And the Seraphim in Isaiah 6.

Cherubim and Seraphim are these guardians of the throne of God.

In Genesis 3:24, God places a cherubim to guard the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned.

That is likely what these four creatures are here.

Some form of guardian present around the throne of Christ.

The fact that they are covered with eyes means there is not much that will escape their notice.

Each of them having this magnificent description.

And they serve also as an example for us because even though their purpose may to be some sort of guardian,

We see that they never stop, day and night,

Worshiping Christ, singing out the holiness of the Lord;

Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

Who was and is and is to come.

The Greek word for holy here is hagios.

It is used 25 times in Revelation and it is the most common understanding of this idea of being set apart.

Throughout the NT both the church and individual Christians, or saints, are described as holy,

As set apart for God’s service.

But hagios also describes what is holy by nature,

That is only the Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

God is hagios, holy, by nature,

And He makes His church holy,

He sets believers apart for His service.

In response to being set apart

We worship His inherent holiness.

YOU: Worship the Creator (vs. 9-11)

Lastly, we see worship intertwined with His role as Creator.

Look at Rev. 4:9-11 where we see we Worship the Creator;

Revelation 4:9–11 ESV

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.”

We see everything culminate together in worship of Christ in these verses.

The living creatures, the elders,

All of us worship the Lord who created all things.

This is what characterizes heaven;

Joyful praise, thanksgiving, and worship!

Because it is by His will that creation came into existence.

Songs of praise, like this one here, are an appropriate response to the glory and works of Christ.

I shared the list of all the times we see worship and praise throughout Revelation.

Another wonderful OT song of praise we see from Moses in Exodus 15:11;

Exodus 15:11 ESV

“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

The answer?

No one!

The starting point of worship is recognizing that Christ is worthy of being recognized for His matchless glory and honor and power.

Specifically here we note His worthiness as the Creator of all things.

Christ alone is worthy of worship,

Therefore worship Him alone!

WE:

*Christ alone is worthy of worship, so worship Him alone!

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