What It’s All About
Notes
Transcript
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Intro
Earlier this week I got an email that said the world was going to end.
Do you get these emails?
They’re sometimes called, “News.”
And it didn’t exactly say the world was going to end but it made me feel that way.
Apparently there was a joint commission in our government which said the threats to our country now are higher than they’ve been in 80 years and that our country is not prepared for them.
Awesome. Fun to read late at night, too.
Some of you may know nothing about this some of you probably know way more about this than I do but the point is…there is this growing storyline that things in the world are bad and they’re getting worse. Do you feel that?
What would you say is the story of the world?
Is it a fight for power? Battles between nations.
Is it evolution? Over billions if not trillions of years humanity has evolved and is fighting for progress.
Is there no grand story? Is the idea that there is a story of the world an illusion?
How do we make sense of what’s going on?
But what about this, what would you say is the story of your life?
If you’re like me, functionally, the story of my life is an upwards progression towards personal happiness, fulfillment, comfort, money, and success!
The story of my life is that over time I will be less anxious, more happy, have more in savings, my family will grow and be healthy, and more people will like me.
What’s your story? Would you define it as a comedy? A rom com? A tragedy?
We come to Scripture today and it has a story it is telling.
And it says the story of the world is not a power grab, it’s not evolution, it’s not self actualization, and the story of the world is not the story of me, and it’s not the story of you.
As we’ll see this morning in Revelation 4 and 5 - yes we’re doing two chapters this morning that IS allowed - as we’ll see in chapters 4 and 5 all of human history - the whole story - is about God on his throne and the Lamb who was slain.
Everything else are subplots but the main plot the main thing what IT IS ALL ABOUT is God on his throne and the Lamb who was slain.
Try claiming that at work this week or asking KING5 to cover that story in the news - and yet as we’ll see in Revelation chapter 4 it’s all about God on his throne and in chapter 5 it is all about the Lamb who was slain
God on his throne
1 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.”
What we’re going to see in chapter 4 is an opening into another dimension of reality where John sees God on this throne.
That’s what Revelation is - this book we’re studying together - it’s a revealing of something. Given by God to Jesus to give to John to write down for the churches passed down thru the generations and now comes directly to you and me.
And we’re calling this series Revelation - Discipleship on the Edge because Revelation can often be perceived as a crystal ball - we think its function is to predict the future. And while it does deal with the future - it says so in verse 1 - it is also about how to live right now.
What does it mean to follow Jesus in the pressure of life when the world feels uncertain and when the church does not seem to be representing Jesus faithfully?
Maybe you’re not a Christian and you’re wondering - I’m interested in Jesus but everything I hear about the church doesn’t seem super appealing - what’s going on? That’s a great question and one we should be asking as we read Revelation.
These were the questions then and they’re our questions now.
Verse 1 says ‘after this’
So what just happened?
Last week Fletcher did a bang up job, he hit a home run, it was a slam dunk insert your sports metaphor, walking us through the 7 letters to the churches. I learned a lot from Fletcher and one thing he pointed out that I hadn’t heard before is Revelation is like a tale of two cities - you have the new Jerusalem - the new creation which is to come, and you have Babylon - the symbolic picture of the world opposed to God. And one city will last forever, and the other is soon to fall.
And what happens in Revelation 2 and 3 - what we call the 7 letters - is Jesus writes to the churches to say Babylon has infiltrated the church. Not completely, in some cases some churches are doing pretty well - but Babylon is impacting all of us, and we need to get out of Babylon before it inevitably falls. And Fletcher invited us to consider, in what ways is God calling out sin in our life as a church? In what ways do we look like the world? What comes to mind for me is we as the church are so individualistic - the story of the world is the story of me! And we are so consumeristic - I view life, people, as a scramble to get enough money, have enough friends, eat the best food, have the most fun, life is about what I can consume. I wonder what the Holy Spirit brought to mind for you.
So what we will read in chapters 4 and 5 this morning is a transition out of the letters to the churches.
TALK ABOUT WHERE ITS GOING
Can you do a little work this morning? You guys okay? I’m going to read these next 5 verses and I want you to do some imagining with me.
Revelation 4:2–6 (ESV)
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.
The Spirit gives John a vision of God on his throne.
A throne is a symbol of power. And this throne is one of ultimate, unending, unmatched power.
Jasper and carnelian or ruby - these fiery jewels - a rainbow - a symbol of God’s justice and mercy.
24 elders which could be representative of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles, clothed in a heavenly ensemble.
Lightning and rumblings - much like when God showed up on Mt. Sinai.
The sevenfold spirit of God - God’s Holy Spirit
And this sea of glass.
Why all this detail and why so much of it?
John wants us to see in writing all these hyperlinks to the Old Testament - this is God and this God is big and powerful and beautiful.
Transition - there’s more…keep imagining with me…
Revelation 4:6–11 (ESV)
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. 8 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!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 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,
11 “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’re going to sing holy holy holy after the sermon and here’s one of the verses - can you sing it with me?
Consider singing -
Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore Thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim, falling down before Thee,
which wert and art and evermore shalt be.
John’s vision of God on the throne shows he is holy - he is entirely alien to humans, he is not like us, he is immeasurably better than us, he is worthy, priceless, he alone is worthy of significance. No person or nation or thing is as weighty and significant as God.
The elders give up their crowns before him. This is pointless next to you!
God is on his throne. Everything worships him! Why? Because he is the sovereign ruler and creator of all.
John has this vision of God on his throne. Why? Why directly after the 7 letters to the churches do we pivot to this?
John just had these very practical letters - do this, don’t do this - and now he sees alien creatures singing praise songs to God.
This isn’t the only heavenly vision of God on his throne in the Bible. Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1 and Daniel 7 are others.
And each of those visions, like this one, comes to a prophet when God’s people are in exile. And they’re wondering, “Where is God in this mess?”
And then God gives his messenger a revelation of coming judgment and redemption. Things are going to get hard, but don’t lose hope.
And so here’s who I am - here’s what I’m like - and the most important thing my people need to know in exile is to worship me because I’m the one who’s on the throne.
What is the story of your life?
It’s not a question I ask often enough. Practically, I expect my life to get better and better. I’ll be healthier, happier, and richer as time goes by.
From 2017 to 2018, I went thru a time where the Lord allowed me to see that is not always the story.
What happens when our story doesn’t go as planned? Revelation reminds us that the story is not about me. It’s all about God on his throne.
And the most important thing in the universe is not whether or not I succeed or fail, whether you stay healthy or get sick, whether our kids turn out alright or not, whether we have enough money or not, but whether or not we choose to worship and adore this God who is holy, holy, holy.
TRANSITION - WE’VE SEEN IT’S ALL ABOUT GOD ON HIS THRONE AND THAT EVERYTHING WORSHIPS HIM. VERSE 1 SAID - I’M GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT MUST TAKE PLACE AFTER THIS, SO THERE’S SOME KIND OF DRAMA THAT MUST ENSUE. WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT?
Lamb who was slain
1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
John notices a scroll in God’s right hand.
And hears a strong spiritual being declare that someone needs to break its seals.
Picture God holding a manila folder that says - Classified!
This seal indicates authenticity. The wax is sealed with the king’s own ring. 7 seals because it’s the ultimate decree or will of God and we’ll see later on it has something to do with God’s ultimate plan to judge sin and redeem his people.
In God’s hand is his plan to deal with sin. He’s going to end murder. No more sexual abuse. Cancer will be done.
In his right hand is his plan to wipe every tear from every eye. To rid the world of heart break and grief. To take the worst day of your life and turn it into the most glorious joy you’ve ever experienced and to do that for billions of people. So, who’s gonna open it?
3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
It’s like if I handed you a briefcase and said inside is the key to taking everything wrong with your life and making it right. And not just your life but your family’s, and not just your family’s every family. And by the way you can’t open it. No one can.
John rightly weeps.
Symbolic picture of the story of the Bible. God has a plan to crush the snake and he’s chosen to do it through a human being. But no human can defeat the snake. They all succumb to sin, greed, power, deceit, etc. David couldn’t do it. Solomon couldn’t do it. Moses couldn’t do it.
Kamala Harris can’t do it. Donald Trump can’t do it. Abraham Lincoln couldn’t do it.
There’s no one worthy, no human, no god, no creature, to do what must be done.
5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
But there is one…
He is the Lion of Judah - a reference to Genesis….the root of David -
The Messiah was going to be a seed of David - one of his sons, but in actuality he’s the root of David - the Messiah didn’t come FROM David, David only existed because of him.
And this king who is worthy has conquered.
So let’s see this powerful, strong, conquering king.
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Imagine you’ve got a work softball team and you say guys - I recruited someone to play for us. They call him the Lion.
And in walks a 10 year old who is smaller than the bat he’s holding.
Here we have the great irony that is the gospel.
The conquering king was slaughtered.
The victor is the loser.
The Strong One was weak.
The Lion is the Lamb.
Most kings - like Caesar or Pharoah wielded violence and death to say look, I’m strong! But only Jesus was strong enough to not wield death, but to actually defeat it. Our king was stronger than violence and death itself.
And the great twist of the gospel is he did so by dying a sacrificial death.
7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“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,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
Jesus’ death saved us.
God’s plan to judge sin and save his people was complete in Jesus.
Jesus is worthy because he’s not like other kings.
Can I show you something I’d never seen before?
That phrase in verse 9 - people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. I just always thought it was a Bible way of saying errybody.
But my study Bible said you know what that’s like, it’s a story in Daniel 3.
4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
Daniel 3 is about the king of Babylon sitting on a throne and saying people from every nation, language bow down and worship me!
Revelation 4 and 5 is about God on his throne saying people from every nation and language bow down and worship me but not because if you don’t I will kill you, but because I died for you.
And because of this they are worthy of endless praise.
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
John’s final vision is this universal picture of every living thing - both earthly and heavenly creatures - worshiping Jesus because he died on the cross.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Here’s what it’s all about -
The story of nations, the story of politics, the story of the economy, the story of societies, the story of culture, the story of the church, the story of Sumner, the story of you, the story of me - it’s about God on his throne and the Lamb who was slain.
So what do we do in light of that story? We fall down and worship him.
And that’s the dichotomy we see in Revelation and Daniel - we all fall down and worship someone - so who’s it going to be?
If you worship yourself, then your world is only as big as you, and when you fail, and don’t live up to your own standards, it’s soul crushing. And your worthiness is only measured by what other people think about you. What a hard thing to maintain.
If your god is family, then you’re going to hound your kids and they’re going to hate you or feel crushed by you.
If your god is your career, then what happens when the economy crashes again and there’s a round of layoffs?
When my god is my talents and abilities, what happens on my days of bad performance? I feel pretty bad about Chris.
That’s what it’s all about.
So what does it look like for you to worship him?
Because this is what it’s all about.
Have you had the moment in your life where you genuinely said, Jesus it’s all about you. It’s not about me. Forgive me for making myself god. Have you done that? Maybe that’s worship for you today giving your worship, your very life to him.
What picture comes to your mind when I say, worshiping God?
Maybe it’s singing, maybe you need to sing and practice worship through song.
Maybe it’s a recognition of pride in your life and making yourself the center of the story.
For me, worshiping God means remembering in my worries and fears that he’s the center of the story and I can trust him. I worship God by trusting him.
A good number of us face serious health concerns. Maybe worshiping God means saying God, your will be done, I will praise you even as my body suffers.
Maybe worshiping God means giving your money. You functionally worship your wealth and tithing is your way of saying I’m not bowing down to Babylon anymore.
Maybe worshiping God means turning off the news and finding ways to feed your soul and remember what it’s really all about and the world does not center around what’s going to happen on November 5.
What does it look like for you to worship him? Because it’s all about God on his throne and the Lamb who was slain.
Conclusion
Revelation 4 and 5 reminds us that at the center of human history, it’s all about God on his throne and the Lamb who was slain.
It’s not about the greatest threat to America in 80 years. It’s not about WW3.
It’s only in the true story that we can find peace. There is no threat to America that can change that story.
It’s only in that story that we can find hope. There is no health crisis that can change the final outcome of God’s redemption in Christ.
It’s only in that story we can find true joy. The God at the center of the story loved you enough to die for you.
It’s only in that story we can find true purpose. The Lamb bought us with his blood and has made us priests to worship him and serve him and love him.I got an email earlier this week that kind of freaked me out.
And it reminds me that I need to ask, what do I think is the story of the world? What’s my story?
And in every story there’s a hero, there’s a god who gets the praise.
We’ve got some stuff going on.
What it’s all about…what does it look like to worship God?