The Throne Room

Introduction

[Prayer]

Well, good morning!

If you have your Bibles, open ‘em up with me to Revelation chapters 4 and 5. We’re gonna be covering another large section of text this morning…and so, again…I encourage you, be reading our passages each week before you come. Read ‘em after you leave. They’re in your Scripture journals…I list them on the church app usually on Wednesday, Thursday of every week. But listen, there’s just too much here for us and I don’t want to eat up 15 minutes or so just reading through all the text. I really believe that going through this book in the way we are…its gonna help us all walk away much more encouraged…and its gonna help us walk away really understanding Revelation in a greater way.

Listen, as we continue on…we’ve left the letter portion of this book behind…and now everything we’re gonna see, it’s all gonna be apocalyptic in nature. And guys, its gonna get weird. We’re gonna see all kinds of weird, freaky animal things…and all these natural disasters…and tons and tons of death. But guys, as we continue…I want you remember one important truth. John, as he writes down the things he’s seeing through these different visions. His goal, its not to show us how and when certain things are gonna happen…its not to give a chronological account of everything in the end times…No, his goal, its to point us to a specific person and to tell us why certain things are gonna happen. And so, he’s writing about who and why…not how and when.

Listen, when I was a kid, I had all kinds of learning disabilities. I was in special classes because I just wasn’t able to learn like all the other kids. I struggled with reading…I struggled with simple mathematics…and listen, it was discouraging…but by about the 4th grade, I had this teacher, and she was patient…she was sympathetic with my issues. She used tons of visual aids to help me…and listen, for the first time…everything started to make sense. I could see it explained…it was like these pictures brought me clarity. I mean that’s the point of visual aids, right? To help us understand the point…the lesson.

Listen, as we turn the page into chapters 4 and 5…John gives us this beautiful picture of the triune God. We get to see the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And the point of this picture, its all meant to help us understand the glory of God.

Now, of course…we have to make sure we read everything in context here…this passage, it comes on the heels of the letters we just went through last week…and He was revealing the Christian’s need to live a life of repentance so that they would be able endure the trials in front of ‘em…so that they could stay engaged in the battle, right? And so, I wanna tie this vision of God’s glory here with what we talked about last week. Revelation 4 and 5, it doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. Jesus’s message to the churches who were walking through this war against sin and suffering…some of them were thriving, and Jesus was commending them…encouraging them to endure. Others, they were compromising and falling into complacency. But all of them, they needed a reminder to hold fast to God and to preach the gospel at the risk of their lives.

And so how does God motivate His people to stand fast in suffering? How does God motivate His people to turn away from sin? How does God motivate His people to spread the gospel, even when it may cost them their lives? He motivates them with a vision of Himself. He says to them, “See your suffering in light of who I am. See your battles with sin in light of who Jesus is. Spread the gospel in view of my glory.”

That’s John’s point for Revelation 4 and 5…for these people in the first century and for every person that’s come after them, to look at everything in their life through the lens of God’s glory. That’s the goal for today…that you’d walk away in the next few minutes with new eyes, with a new perspective on every single thing in your life because you’re seeing it all through the lens of God’s glory…This passage, its all about Jesus! It’s His show!

And so, what I wanna do this morning…I wanna do a little exegesis of these chapters, looking at this picture of the triune God…and then I wanna explore some applicational points for us to take away…which is that this picture, it compels us to receive salvation…this picture empowers us to escape temptation…and this picture enables us to endure tribulation.

And so, with all that being said, let’s dive into the text together.

Exegesis

I. A Picture of the Triune God

Again, the first thing I wanna do…I wanna explain the text…walk through the text…and then we’ll look at what all this means for each of us.

This picture of God here…that John gives us…honestly, if we’d just close our eyes and imagine everything he’s writing down…it would just take your breath away.

A. God the Father

Of course, the first description we get, its in chapter 4…its all about God the Father.

And listen, as you hear these words…we see parallels to Daniel 7 and Ezekiel 1, Isaiah 6…there’s all kinds of descriptions that John uses that allude to the Old Testament.

But here’s the big thing I want you to take away from this explanation…everything that’s in these chapters, its all pointing to a throne. And at the center of this throne room, we see God the Father seated there. He’s seated at the center of the universe. Everything in these two chapters, it revolves around God’s throne…where God the Father sits.

In fact, if you’re taking notes…17 different times, we see the term “throne” used by John in these two chapters to show us that this throne, its at the center of the entire picture he’s painting here. Everything, its centered around God…everything in this scene…everything in the world, every facet of your life, it all revolves around God. That’s the point of this description that John’s giving us here. He’s showing that God, He’s at the center of the universe…past, present, and future.

In school, if you’re a student here this morning…every subject you’re learning about…math, science, history…all of it centers around God. At work, every job represented in this room this morning…it all centers around God.

Listen to me…you’ll never understand your work properly if you fail to see it in light of that reality. You’ll never understand the work you’re called to if you don’t understand that God sits at the center of the universe and that everything, including your work, revolves around Him.

And listen, as He sits there…He dwells in this unapproachable light. Again, this book, I believe John intends for most of it to be taken symbolically…even the idea of God seated on this throne is, in a way, symbolic because we know God isn’t limited to this place. We know He’s omnipresent. But as we explore this scene…we see all kinds of symbolism.

The first thing here…its the description of jasper and carnelian…and this rainbow that has the appearance of an emerald, right? This might bring to mind Ezekiel 1, Ezekiel 28, Exodus 28…there’s jasper in those accounts. It’s a jewel…oftentimes its red…other times we see it as green or blue or brown, yellow, white…Carnelian…its depicted as a red stone in most ancient world writings. But listen, together…these two stones, they form a picture of brilliant colors and they give off this rainbow of lights. It’s the same kind of language that Paul uses in 1 Timothy 6:16:

1 Timothy 6:16 (ESV)

[God] alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion.

John’s grasping here, trying his best to describe the glory of God in a common language. It’s a difficult task.

And listen, surrounding this throne of God in the midst of His glory…we see these 24 other thrones. Now, there’s some debate here on what these are…but most likely 12 of these represent the 12 tribes of Israel…and the other 12 represent the 12 apostles. Israel was the nation that demonstrated God’s glory to the rest of the world during the Old Testament, they testified to His greatness…the apostles, who would establish the church later on, they would take over Israel’s mission and take that same message to the greater world. But all of these 24 elders, together, they represent all of God’s people…praising Him…worshiping Him…and these people represent people from every tribe, and nation, and tongue…showing that all human worship…those created in God’s image…they will worship Him.

The 24 elders or the 12 tribes and the 12 apostles…it also paints a picture of the Father’s sovereignty for us…His sovereignty in bringing about this plan of redemption. And if you read the text, it says these 24 elders, they’re clothed in white garments…they have golden crowns, right? Do you remember what Jesus told the church of Laodicea? That if they endured…if they followed Him…they’d be clothed in white garments…they’d receive gold. These 24 elders, they’re all the heads of God’s chosen people. That’s what’s depicted here.

And then in verse 6, we see these freaky looking animal things. It says, “And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 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.”

Now, again…we don’t know entirely what these animals are…but because of the nature of this passage…the descriptions that John gives…their actions…I believe these 4 creatures (remember 4, its also a number to talk about creation’s wholeness)…they represent the entirety of creation. Not only will mankind surround the throne of God and worship Him…but all of creation’ll surround Him. I mean just think about it…the lion, its the notablest of all creatures…the ox, its the strongest…man, they’re the wisest…the eagle, its the swiftest. I think these images, they represent all creation. I mean we see so many passages where it talks about creation crying out for restoration…we see it talk about how even the rocks cry out in worship of God. Everything will surround God and everything will worship God.

In our passage, what are these creatures doing? They’re worshiping, right? They say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” They’re worshiping Him…they’re declaring His greatness, as they, alongside mankind, circle the throne of God.

Going back a couple verses, we see the judgement of God here…which we know stems from the Father’s characteristics…it was the Father’s wrath poured out on Jesus, right? And so, we know that’s a role that belongs to Him. It says in verse 5 that “flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peels of thunder,” they’re all coming from this center throne.

And yet amidst this portrayal of God as Judge, we see that He tempers His wrath and judgment with mercy. The rainbow around the throne, it resembles God’s promise to show patience and mercy to a fallen world filled with sinners who are, every single one, guilty of treason and transgression against Him…Rebellious against the One who’s holy and set apart.

We see God separated by a sea of crystal clear glass, signifying His glorious transcendence above everything else in all of creation. He’s different, other, incomparable, unlike us and unlike anything else and anywhere else in all of the universe.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.”

The scene, it continues…we see God’s infinitely timeless. He’s “the one who was and is and is to come,” verse 8. He’s “the one who lives forever and ever,” verse 9. Nothing can overpower His rule, nothing can outlast His reign. Think about it, our president, whoever it’ll be, He’ll lead for four, maybe eight years and then be done. But our God reigns forever and ever and ever. He’s infinitely timeless, and He’s infinitely glorious. “Worthy to receive glory and honor and power,” verse 11.

He’s supreme above all things. He’s the creator of all things…He’s the sustainer of all things, He’s sovereign over all things.

And then listen, the vision continues unbroken into Chapter 5, where John says he “saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll within and on the back, sealed with seven seals”. This scroll, we find out in the chapters that follow, contains God’s foreordained plans for the course of history, specifically leading up to the end of the world and the consummation of His kingdom. This scroll, it contains God’s sovereign will for all creation and ultimate redemption. And listen, He holds it in His hand.

This is God the Father.

B. God the Son

And then, John gives us this picture of God the Son. You get into chapter 5…you’ve just gotten this majestic picture of God the Father…we’ve seen this scroll that He holds in his hand, that contains His plans for the redemption and restoration of all creation…plans for the ultimate judgement and destruction of all evil…the defeat of death in the world, the final removal of sin and suffering and pain…Its all written on this scroll.

But John hears this question…who’s worthy enough to open the scroll? Who can break its seal? Who can actually put into action the contents of this scroll?

And listen, heaven goes silent…it testifies to the sinfulness of man. There’s no one. No one is worthy…all of us fall short…none are righteous…which of course, causes John to weep. And listen, he’s weeping because he understands what’s in the scroll…he understands this potential future…he longs for a restored world, one without sin and suffering.

But listen, in the midst of John’s hopelessness…one of the elders, they speak up and they begin to talk about the Lion of Judah, the Root of David…the One who’s conquered.” They say, “This Son of God, He can open the scroll and He can break it’s 7 seals.” We see fulfillments of Genesis 49:10…Isaiah 11.

Unlike mankind, Jesus, who became man…He’s worthy…He’s righteous…He’s able to open the scroll and bring about the redemption of man and the restoration of all creation. Just read the passage here…this man…this Jesus, He didn’t fall prey to sin…He wasn’t enslaved to Satan, He wasn’t bound by death.

Instead He conquered sin and death…He took away the sin of the world. How? How did He conquer? John rises and he sees the strong Lion, and to his surprise he sees a slaughtered Lamb. The conquering Lion is the slaughtered Lamb. It’s the same language in Exodus 12 where the Israelites took an innocent lamb and killed it and they spread its blood all over their doorposts…The people were saved from the judgement of God, in this story, under the banner of the blood of a lamb. Isaiah, he would speak about a lamb led to the slaughter later on in his prophesies.

The Son of God, mankind’s sacrificial lamb, He conquered death by suffering on a cross. He was marred, despised, rejected, stricken, smitten, afflicted, wounded, chastised, oppressed, pulverized in the place of sinners…so that all who hide under the banner of His blood would be safe. And while He has the strength of a lion…he became our lamb.

And listen, I want you to catch this here…even though the lamb was slain…pay attention the passage…He’s standing here in this vision…Jesus alone is capable of opening the scroll and bringing about the Father’s plan. And listen, we saw this in chapter 1, this Lamb, who’s experienced death on our behalf…He alone is sovereign over death.

And so, this Lion-like Lamb, He walks up to the throne, in verse 7, and He takes the scroll from the right hand of the Father. I mean just think about this authority…No one in heaven or on earth…under the earth…no one was able to take the scroll…and yet Jesus, He walks up, right beside the throne…a throne surrounded by all the people of God and all the creation of God…there as witnesses…and He takes the scroll from the hand of God the Father.

And listen, He can do this because Jesus humbled Himself as the Lamb…and for that reason we know that the Father exalted Him above all names.

Philippians 2:8–11 (ESV)

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And so, here in our passage…we see the creatures all sing a new song…one to the Lamb, saying the same thing, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation”

Guys, Jesus’s worth, its undisputed…His work, its unforgettable. And the implication here its crystal clear…Jesus will be at the center of worship for all eternity. His worship, alongside God the Father…its universal.

C. God the Holy Spirit

And then lastly, while it’s not as evident as the other two…in chapter 4…we see the 7 spirits of God here. If you remember, this was the same language John used in chapter 1 when describing the Holy Spirit. Again, this 7, its showing completion…fullness…perfection. We see the same language in Zechariah 4, describing his omnipresence. He’s omniscient. Nothing escapes His gaze. He’s omnipotent. He has all power and authority…He’s able to bring about life change and salvation. He inspired the Word of God.

And notice, these 7 torches of fire…or the 7 spirits of God, the Holy Spirit, they’re before the throne. His job, its to exalt the Son. That’s His role in the Godhead. Everything He does…its to exalt Jesus!

Application

And so, listen…John’s vision here…its showing us the fullness of God…but what’s it mean to us?…what’s the point of all this? I mean, certainly…we should leave speechless and, this vision, this understanding about God, it should change everything about us…but I think, in light of last week’s passage, there’s three things we see here.

I. This Picture Compels Us to Receive Salvation

The first…its that this picture, it should compel us to receive salvation.

If you remember, in the letters to the churches, Jesus made a ton of promises…To Laodicea, He said, “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne”

I mean, after reading about this vision of the throne room, do you realize the implications here? What Jesus is promising to those that follow Him? I mean this just changes everything about Revelation chapters 4 and 5…it should take your breath away. Not only did He purchase us but we see, as John said in chapter 1, we’ve been made into a kingdom and priests to our God…and we get to reign with Him forever. He says that again in Revelation 5:10. We get to sit on the throne with Him.

Listen, there are Christians in this room right now and there are non-Christians in this room right now. And what we see, in light of this vision, its that on one hand…God holds the future glorification of believers in His hand…those who trust in Jesus, those who believe in the slaughtered Lamb, the One who reigns as Lord…they’ll be united with Him face-to-face…and they’ll reign with Him for all eternity.

But listen, at the same time…God also holds the final damnation of unbelievers in His hand. Every man, every woman, every student…not following Jesus…they will cry out for the mercy of Christ…and in the end they’ll all collapse under His judgement. And the reason for this, as we see from our passage, its because Jesus alone, He’s able to take the scroll that contains God’s plan for redemption and judgement…He alone is in control of the past, and the present, and the future.

And listen, this vision…this picture…its to make real the serious implications of what it means to reject Christ and the good news of the gospel. This vision, it compels us to receive salvation.

II. This Picture Empowers Us to Escape Temptation

But listen, this picture…it also empowers us to escape temptation as believers.

Again…I just want you to picture this throne room. All of creation, it surrounds this throne…and you get this picture of God…who in His right hand, He holds the plans for all creation. Some of it, as we’ll see, its been fulfilled already. We see this lightning and these rumblings coming from the throne. We see the greatness of God….we see this perfect picture of the Almighty…who has all power and all glory.

And listen, we have to remember the message from last week…we have to remember who Revelation was written to. These 1st century Christians that were being persecuted…some of ‘em were falling into all kinds of idolatry and sin. Why? Because its easier to just look like world…its easier to walk alongside it if it means you’re not gonna lose your life…or if it means you’re not gonna be taken from the people you love. It’s just easier to fall into temptation sometimes, right? Plus, if we’re honest…we fall into temptation because we like sin. We like money…we like sex…we like ourselves more than anything else.

But guys, when you stop and when you reflect on this picture of the throne room. When you get this glimpse of an even greater God…one greater than anything you might’ve set up on your own…you begin realize that there’s a power even now that allows you to escape the temptation of this world.

As believers today, we have to understand that we live in the flesh…even as a redeemed person. We see that all over the Bible…John tells us that in First John. He says we don’t understand truth if we fail to understand our sin nature…Paul makes it clear in Romans 7 that even as redeemed people, we still live in the flesh and therefore we do what we know isn’t good. We’re sinful…we’re wicked…we’re selfish. We have to understand that. We will be tempted.

But guys, obviously, as believers, our victory isn’t in what we’ve done or what we will do, its found in what Jesus did…guys, just because we live in the flesh…it doesn’t give us the excuse to just keep on sinning. We serve a God that empowers us to overcome. And when we see this picture of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, here in this throne room…when we filter everything through this lens…we’re able to find the satisfaction our souls crave. In the complete person of God, we find our pleasure and delight. And guys, if we’d just keep our eyes on this throne…we’d find a freedom we’ve never experienced before.

When you set your eyes on this throne room, you’ll be freed from the pursuit of all that worldly stuff. You won’t lust over images on the internet because your eyes, they’ll be captivated by the glory of God. You won’t care about money because you’ll realize that your riches, its all found in the One that holds the scrolls and the One that has the power to open ‘em.

How do we overcome sin in our lives today? Obviously through the power of the Spirit…but guys, its by allowing this vision of God to overwhelm you. We fight immorality by finding fulfillment in the One who has all power. The glory of God, it empowers us to escape temptation.

I’ll borrow language here from Hebrews 12 to help us understand Revelation 5.

“Throw aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily entangles…fix your eyes on Jesus…consider Jesus…who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Heb. 12:1–4).

Guys, when you’re struggling with temptation…consider Jesus, who conquered sin…who empowers us now to conquer sin…Remember that in your struggle…you have this great picture of Christ!

We fight everything we talked about last week…complacency and compromise…we fight that by constantly viewing the excellency of Christ!

III. This Picture Enables Us to Endure Tribulation

And then lastly…this picture of God, it enables us to endure tribulation.

Listen, I’ve said this many times so far…but we have to remember the context of Revelation…who it was written to…remember that it can’t mean today what it couldn’t have meant then. These Christians were suffering. They were wondering why all this stuff was happening…they were wondering when this stuff was gonna end. And listen, Revelation 4 and 5, it makes three things very clear to us.

One, our God, He’s in control…He holds the scrolls in His hands. He holds history and He determines the future. That’s our God…He’s in control. And listen, things might seem like they’re spinning out of control…it might seem like nothing’s going right…but rest assured that God is in control and He alone is bringing all things together for the good of those who love Him and for the glory of His name. That’s Romans 8:28. Rest in this.

Two, our God, He’s in control and the enemy’s been conquered. Remember, our enemy, its not your neighbor…its not the person who cut you off the other day or cussed you out…its against unseen powers…its not against flesh and blood. Paul tells us that in Ephesians 6. Our enemy, its sin and evil…its the things that try and rob God of His glory and distort what He deemed good. But guys, these scrolls that God holds, it shows us that Jesus overcame that enemy. He overcame sin and death. Colossians 2:15 says:

Colossians 2:15 (ESV)

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

You have to remember that you’re found in Him…You belong to Jesus…Your name, its been written in the book of life and you’re identified by Him and Him alone…and only He’s worthy enough to take the scroll from the Father and open it…fulfill it. Only He can redeem and judge. Rest in that.

It may not look or feel like you’re a conqueror on some days, but isn’t that the beauty of the cross? I mean just look at the cross. It doesn’t seem like a picture of conquering. Its a brutally bloody maimed man hanging naked on a tree…is that a picture of conquering? Not in the eyes of the world. And in the same way, is the picture of these 1st century Christians being burned at the stake a picture of conquering? Not in the eyes of the world.

But guys, the gospel, it turns everything upside down. In the brutal crucifixion of Christ, Jesus was conquering death. And listen, in the brutal murder of Christians, the church was advancing the gospel. And so, for Christians in the twenty-first century, in this room, who are walking through pain and suffering, and it doesn’t feel like you’re conquering, know this…as you share in the sufferings of Christ, you participate in the reign of Christ and there’s a power in you that can and will overcome anything that challenges Jesus!

And so, remember that one day our suffering, it’ll end. The Lion-like Lamb, He alone has the authority to bring about God’s ultimate plan of redemption and restoration.

Amidst your suffering, glimpse the glory of your God, and He’ll enable you to endure any kind of tribulation or suffering you might face.

Let the image of God…what you know to be true…what you believe in and have experienced in your own life…let that help you overcome as you fulfill the mission of Christ.

Closing

And so, reflecting on this throne room scene…would you bow your head and close your eyes with me this morning?

Listen, depending on who you are…I just want you to do one of two things as we close together.

If you’re a believer…you follow Jesus…you’ve been given new life. I just want you to picture this throne. In light of this image that John’s showing us here, what does it mean for the mission He’s given us…to go and make disciples of all nations? Of course, you know that you might suffer…you know that you might some lose things…you know it might even be hard…but what does this picture show you? Hopefully, it shows you that you can overcome sin…hopefully it shows you that you can experience suffering with hope. Hopefully it shows you the great need people have for salvation around you. Hopefully…I hope it shows you that everything’s about the glory of God. It’s not about you. And guys, I hope this image…I hope it shows you that everything we might possibly lose in advancing the message of God, I hope it shows you its worth it.

Here’s what I want you to do, ask Jesus to break your heart for those that don’t know Him…those around us here in Cambridge Springs…those around the world. And then I want you ask Him how He plans to use you in this mission. That’s it…that’s what I want you to do this morning as you focus on this picture of God…because that’s the point of this passage…its to motivate believers to stay engaged in the battle…all in light of who God is.

But listen, if you’re here this morning and you don’t know Jesus…you haven’t turned to Him. I want you to picture this throne room…all the details about this sovereign, all power God…and I want you to think about what’s keeping you from accepting His free gift of salvation?

You see, the Bible, it tells us we’re all sinful and because of that…we’re all gonna die and we’re all gonna remain separated from the goodness of God for all eternity. It tells us that God’s wrath, it’ll be poured out on us. But it also, tells us that He gave us a way out…He sent His Son Jesus…who came and lived a perfect life…who died on a cross…who took on God’s wrath…all for us. It says He rose three days later, conquering sin and death for good. And it says all we have to do is repent and believe…turn from ourselves and believe that Jesus is Lord and that He rose from the dead. That’s it…that’s all we have to do to receive salvation.

And so, that’s what I want you to do today…what’s keeping you from turning to Jesus and believing in Him this morning? It doesn’t matter who you are…it doesn’t matter what you’ve done or how old you are. Turn to Jesus and receive salvation.

And so, you take this time…reflect on our passage…on this throne room…our praise team’s gonna play…I’ll close us in just a moment.

[Prayer]