Worship in Spirit and Truth (4)
Notes
Transcript
God Centred Worship - Revelation 4:1-3
God Centred Worship - Revelation 4:1-3
15 Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day! 16 May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field! 17 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!
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.” 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. 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.” 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?” 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. 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.” 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. 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.” 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 honour 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 honour and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshipped.
Introduction
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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.” 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.
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1. Christ in the Midst of the Lampstands – Chapters 1-3
2. The Vision of Heaven and the Seals – Chapters 4-7
3. The Seven Trumpets - Chapters – 8-11
4. The Persecuting Dragon – Chapters 12-14
5. The Seven Bowls – Chapters 15-16
6. The Fall of Babylon – Chapters 17-19
7. The Great Consummation – Chapters 20-22
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Each of these sections cover the same period of time from the first Advent to the second Advent of Christ
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1. A Sight of Heaven v1
1. A Sight of Heaven v1
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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.”
a. An Open Door
a. An Open Door
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.”
b. A Voice
b. A Voice
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.”
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10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet
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16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
c. An Invitation
c. An Invitation
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.”
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More than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation 1. The Vision of the Throne (4:1–6)
It is the voice of Christ, bidding him: ‘Come up here’. The seer’s spirit receives the invitation to ascend to the throne above. We mean, of course, to the throne as it appears in the vision. Only when we view all things, including our tribulations (chapter 6), from the aspect of the throne, shall we gain a true insight into history.
d. What Must Take Place
d. What Must Take Place
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.”
The word must is important. The concern of this book is not with things which, as it happens, will take place, as though the future were of absorbing interest in itself. It is rather taken up with things which must happen, the outworking of the divine will. God is in supreme control. John is not writing about matters of chance, but about events which will certainly occur, for they are part of the divine plan. Morris, L. (1987). Revelation: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 88). InterVarsity Press.
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2. The Throne v2
2. The Throne v2
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2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
The term ‘throne’ occurs seventeen times in these two chapters. That throne is not on earth but in heaven. It stands in the Holy of holies of the heavenly temple just as the ark of the covenant stood in the Holy of holies of the earthly Tabernacle or Temple (Ex. 25:22). Hendriksen, W. (1967). More than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation (p. 84). Baker Books.
John’s readers were evidently familiar with earthly thrones and they were troubled by all that Caesar’s throne meant. John will not let them forget that there is a throne above every throne. Morris, L. (1987). Revelation: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 88). InterVarsity Press.
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The purpose for this description is to demonstrate that God is the supreme ruler of this universe. He governs everything so that nothing happens without his will, whether good or evil. He assures them that he and not Satan is in control. “That is why this vision of the universe governed by the throne precedes the symbolic description of the trials through which the Church must pass, chapter 6.” Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, p. 185). Baker Book House.
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3. The One Enthroned v3
3. The One Enthroned v3
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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.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet
a. Appearance
a. Appearance
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.
i. Jasper
i. Jasper
Jasper’: this is a transparent stone, rather like a diamond, yet which offers to the eye a variety of most vivid colours as it is viewed from different angles and in different lights. It signified to John, and it signifies to us, the glorious and infinite perfection of God, and especially the purity and dazzling brightness of His holiness. Richard Brooks
ii. Carnelian
ii. Carnelian
‘Carnelian’: also called the sardine stone, this is blood red, and without hesitation speaks to us of the inflexibility and uncompromising character of God’s justice and the fierceness of His wrath. Richard Brooks
iii. Rainbow
iii. Rainbow
‘Rainbow’: described here not in its usual multi-coloured aspect (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) but ‘resembling an emerald’. There is never any doubt concerning the rainbow. Ever since the days of God’s covenant with Noah (Genesis 9) it has spoken of covenant mercy, grace and love. If you ask why it should resemble an emerald (which is green), then maybe the restfulness and peace granted to the believer as a result of God’s mercy are chiefly in view. Richard Brooks
b. Beholding God’s Glory
b. Beholding God’s Glory
i. Isaiah
i. Isaiah
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
ii. John
ii. John
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,
Conclusion
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What the Bible Teaches about Worship Worship Is God-Centred
Man-centred worship is feeling-oriented; it is consumed with meeting our needs, as if this was the ultimate reason for attending church or worshipping God. When true worship does take place, it is amazing how the Spirit of God does, in fact, minister to our real spiritual needs. The problem with this present generation is that we do not know the difference between true spiritual needs and the artificial needs manufactured by... our present secular culture. Robert L Dickie
