Doctrinal Statement: God
Notes
Transcript
Worthy of All!
Worthy of All!
Intro:
In Andrew Peterson’s song “Is He Worthy?” the chorus asks and answers the questions.... “Is anyone worthy?.... Is anyone able to break the seal.... and open the scroll?... Is He worthy of all blessing and honor and glory? “
When we sing through the song… those questions are asked several times.... “Is He worthy?… Is He worthy?......Is He worthy?”..... Then the final chorus line rings out....... He is!!!!!!!!
That’s right.... God is worthy of all blessing and all honor and all glory!
Andrew Peterson didn’t come up with the lines for his song on his own.... they are not original to him.... No, they were actually recorded many years ago by a man named John, who was imprisoned on an island named Patmos… While John was placed as a prisoner on this island for His faith.... God revealed to Him what we call the book of Revelation....
The lines in Andrew Peterson’s song come directly from an event that takes place in the throne room of heaven in Chapters 4-5. We are going to be studying a passage in Chapter 4 today and I invite you to open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 4.
In Chapters 1-3, God establishes who He is and then gives specific revelation to John concerning 7 different churches. John directly addresses the 7 churches that God indicates as well as the pastor/ leader who is responsible for each church. God gives specific instructions of how they are to grow and corrections for how they are to change…
Then… something changes when we come to chapter 4.... the scene is changing… the time stamp will change… as we read chapter 4… we will notice that what we will witness is not a present day event… but something that will happen in the future....
As we approach , we will be transported in to the very throne room of heaven.... and will be allowed to witness an event of pure worship… This passage will help us give an answer when asked the question… “Is God worthy?” .... our answer can be… Yes, He is Worthy!..... Worthy of all!
Look with me at … starting in verse 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.” 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, 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!”
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.”
As we look at verse 11 and meditate on this praise chorus offered up to God.... in the very throne room of God…
Let’s make sure we know who is involved.... who are the characters in this event… (God on the throne… Angels surrounding the throne… 24 elders before the throne… eventually laying prostrate in worship before the throne… Who are these 24 elders? We won’t go into a huge amount of detail… but, a general overview is this:
The 24 elders represent the redeemed. The Greek word translated here as “elders” is never used in Scripture to refer to angels… it always refers to men. The word is used to refer to older men in general but also used for those in leadership of both Israel and the church. … here in this heavenly throne room scene they are dressed in white garments… symbolizing Christ’s righteousness imputed to the believer at Salvation… the fact that they have crowns further supports that they are humans… Crowns are never promised in Scripture to angels… and we don’t see angels wearing crowns anywhere in Scripture either. But… Christ did promise crowns (Stephanos… victor’s crown) to the believers who were loyal to Him in Smyrna ().
There are so many interesting and amazing things we could talk about related to this passage.
For today, we are going to focus on the truths that are proclaimed about God in this passage. As we do this, the main truths about God that will be highlighted are these: 1 - the Character of God, 2 - the Actions of God, 3 - Our Response to God.
The first truth that we will examine is the Character of God.
I. Character of God: (4:11a)
If your bible is laid out like mine then verse 11 has a number of commas that divide it up into 4 sections. The division in this verse will help us to give some structure to our study today.
Let’s consider the first line in verse 11… “Worthy are you, our Lord and God...”
John first Let’s consider the first line in verse 11… “Worthy are you, our Lord...”
“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.”
The first truth about God’s character is that… He is our Lord.
Let’s consider the first line in verse 11… “Worthy are you, our Lord...”
a. Our Lord
(side note: If your translation reads “O Lord” here in verse 11 instead of “Our Lord and God”… — explain why… different Greek manuscripts.... as older manuscripts were found.... the newer English translations used the older manuscripts.... which had some different wording than the newer manuscripts used in English translations done earlier in history… in the 1500’s for example).
But, whether your translation reads “our Lord and God… or Our Lord and Our God… or simply, O Lord… the same basic truth is being declared.
When we look at verse 11 and read… “Worthy are you, our Lord and God...”
What are we being told about God here? As “our Lord”…
He is a God who is intimately and personally involved in our lives… yet at the same time divine and transcendent.
The word “Lord” (Kurios) in our english Bibles comes from a word that expresses the idea of “the one who is in charge by virtue of possession… the owner”.
Since words have meaning.... and God superintended the writing of Scripture to ensure that exactly what He wanted communicated was written down… understanding the words that God chose helps us to better understand the truths that God is revealing about who He is.
In the greek translation of the Old Testament this is the term “LORD” is used for God in Genesis when the phrase “Lord God” is translated. If you were to look at … starting in verse 5, the phrase “Lord God” is used to describe God.
What happens in chapter 2-3?
These are chapters related to the creation account and tell us of God’s dealings with mankind when Adam and Eve chose to disobey. If you were to read through these two chapters, you would notice that almost every time “God” is referred to, you will see the phrase “Lord God” together.
Now, I hope this doesn’t get too confusing… but we have to trace things back to their source.
The OT was not written in Greek. It was written in Hebrew. So, when Moses wrote the Genesis account… He used 2 Hebrew words for God. “Yahweh” and “Elohim”. Those are the two words you see used together when you read .
Since we are talking about the truth that God.... is Our Lord.... let’s focus on that word… Lord.
If we look back at the Old Testament, when Moses wrote the Genesis account the words He used in Hebrew were “Yahweh” and “Elohim”.
(Lord) Yahweh is the personal name for God.... (it is a present continuous verb that simply means… I am)… and it expresses the truth that God is the eternally faithful, covenant remembering, promise keeping God.
During Bible times, this word (Yahweh) was considered to be so holy that the Jews and OT Scribes would not even say it.... and when the scribes would write it… they would get a new pen… or quill.
The truth that Yahweh is the eternally faithful, promise keeping God is reinforced throughout the OT (especially throughout Exodus, Deuteronomy, Joshua), as Israel is encouraged to remember that it was Yahweh (usually written as LORD… in your Bibles) who had promised to deliver Israel from Egypt…
it was Yahweh who had provided for Israel in the wilderness…
it was Yahweh who had recognized Joshua as the next leader after Moses…
and it was Yahweh who had promised to give the promised land to Israel and then provided for that promise..... in spite of all of the sinfulness, rebellion, and unbelief of the people of Israel.
Throughout the Old Testament in these accounts you will see the phrase, LORD… or LORD God… or the LORD our God.... the LORD your God.... repeated over and over again…
Each time these phrases are written and repeated.... the truth of God’s character is echoed.... Yahweh is eternally faithful.... He is the remember of covenants.... He is the keeper of promises… He has revealed Himself to us! He will never leave us or forsake us!!!!
This word expresses the truth that God is the Eternal, Mighty One!
— Something to think about.... All these truths about God are not dependent on us in any way. The truth that God is eternal, faithful, promise keeping, and a God that can be trusted… are rooted in His eternal and unchanging character… not in our response to Him.
These truths we are looking at today are true whether you believe them or not…
When we understand that these wonderful truths about God are rooted in God’s very character and nature … we begin to understand that God… Yahweh is truly worthy of our worship, praise, and devotion.
When we read , … “worthy are you our Lord...” we are being shown that those in the throne room of God (angels and the redeemed) are pronouncing truth about God… truth about who He is… truth about His character…
“Worthy are you Our Owner… Our Divine Sovereign, Our Eternally Faithful, Promise keeping, Covenant remembering ..., Holy Lord...
There is more information about God in the first line of verse 11… “Worthy are you, our Lord and our God.”
Yahweh is not only our Lord… but He is our God.
Intelligent
b. Our God (Theos = In the Greek- Roman world… a transcendent being who exercises extraordinary control in human affairs or is responsible for bestowal of unusual benefits… deity… God.)
eternal
transcendent being who exercises extraordinary control in human affairs or is responsible for bestowal of unusual benefits, deity, god,
Holy
As we did with the word Lord, let your minds go back to the beginning of things and see a more clear picture of the meaning of the word. .. God.
All-knowing
says, “In the beginning… God”… “in the beginning Elohim...”.
Elohim is the very first word that is used in the Bible to describe and express the nature of God.
This word expresses the truth that God is the Eternal, Mighty One! (The bible assumes God’s existence… and because God existed before the creation of all things… we can understand that He is Eternal.... which also expresses the truths that He is All-powerful… self-sustaining… self-existent… self-sufficient.... and that there is nothing that He needs to exist....
There is another truth about God that is foreshadowed in the name “Elohim”. The Hebrew word is a plural word, yet it is used of a singular God.
Later in the Creation account we are told....
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Based on the foreshadowing of the Old Testament… and the direct teaching about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, from the NT.... we can know that God is a triune God… meaning there are 3 persons to the God head.... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God… three persons…
Let’s look back at the future event taking place in the throne room of heaven recorded for us in... ()
In verse 8 we see the living creatures support the truth that our Divine Sovereign is both Lord and God.... as we are told that day and night without ceasing they proclaim the truth about who the Lord God is.... the almighty One… “who was and is and is to come!”… the only One who is at the same time past, present, and future..... absolutely eternal.
In verse 11, aspects of God’s character are revealed to us.... Because of His character… God is worthy of all!
As we continue reading, we will also see that God is not only worthy of all because of His character… but He is worthy of all because of His actions.
II. Actions of God (4:11c-d)
Let’s consider this scene again… in Revelation chapter 4, we are given a glimpse into the future… a glimpse into throne room of heaven… we are shown an event that will take place some day in the future…
The angels and the redeemed are in the presence of God.... standing before the throne… actually, when we come to verse 11 we see that the elders (representing the redeemed) are actually laying prostrate (face down) before God … completely enthralled in worship....
“Worthy are you.... our Lord and God.... for you created all things… and by your will they exist and were created.” ()
Before we go on to example the actions of God…
The word used here, translated as “worthy” in our English Bibles… is a word that was used to describe the Roman emperor when he marched into the city as part of a triumphant procession. It is a word that expresses the action of drawing down.. or weighing down the scale..(illustration of the market place… the item of higher value will draw down… weigh down the scale… ).. and in the context of expresses the truth of something being of a high degree of value or worth…
Those in the throne room of heaven are ascribing a high degree of worth to God… why?
“for you created all things...”
a. Created all things (c)
As those around the throne sing praises to God… their focus is on the glory of God that is manifested… that is revealed through His creation.
God is presented as Creator throughout Scripture (; ; , ; ; ; )… here in , those in the throne room of God are acknowledging the truth that as Creator… God has the right to both redeem and to judge His creation.
What do we know about the book of Revelation… for the most part… it is filled with prophecy about things that will happen in the future. The main judgments on sin don’t start until chapter 6…
So when this song is sung in chapter 4, it is being sung in anticipation of paradise lost becoming paradise regained. The angels and saints around the throne are waiting in wrapt anticipation for the moment when God will make all things new… when Eden will be restored…
God is about to judge Satan, demons, and sinners and take back His creation. Those around the throne fall down prostrate before God… in awe and wonder of the Lord… as He prepares to bring about the wonderful day that Paul wrote about in .
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Not only has the Lord God created all things… He is the sustainer of all things.... the text tells us that it is by the very will of God that creation exists
“Worthy are you, our Lord and our God… for by Your will they existed and were created.”
What is the action of God revealed in this statement?
b. Sustains all things (d)
According to verse 11, all that we see and experience was not set into motion by God and then left to run its course. No, It is by the very will of God… a purposeful intention/ action with a specific intended result in mind… that Creation exists.
When God created the World.... it was His will… His intentional desire to not only create everything… but to be actively involved in keeping it held together.
The word “existed” in our Bibles expresses the meaning of something that was done in the past, but has continuing results.
You could translate the phrase… “Worthy are You, Our Lord and our God.... for by your will (intentional plan with a specific result in mind) all things were created and they were in the process of existing…”
In , we are told that God (specifically God the Son) has a key role, not only in the creation of all things but in the sustaining of all things…
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Picture of gathering things together in once place so that they are not lost… or perhaps this picture will fit better....(illustration of the broken bowl... being held together by my hand.... it needs glue to hold it together… God… specifically God the Son, is the clue that holds all things together.
If we were to read ahead in to we would be shown that God(specifically God the Son) is praised for not only holding all things together… but He is is praised for so much more!
“Worthy is the lamb who was slain… 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 (power) forever and ever.” (Rev. 5:11-14)
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, 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!”
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!”
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 5:
Here in , the focus of the praise of all those in the throne room is on “Him who sits on the throne (God) and the Lamb who was slain”. We know that this lamb is Jesus… God the Son.
Throughout this throne room scene worship and praise is being given to God in response to His character.... and because of His actions…
As we listen to the heavenly anthem ring out in .... “Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
What do we learn about God and who He is?
His Character is revealed: Holy , Self-existent, Promise Keeping, Covenant Remembering, Sovereign, All-Powerful, Eternal Spirit, faithful, transcendent… and yet a personal God who has communicated with us....
His Actions are also revealed: The Lord God.... by His intentional and purposeful will… has created all things and is actively in the process of sustaining (holding together) all things.... and God is leading all of creation towards a climax when Christ will make all things new.... Through His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection Christ has opened the pathway to reconciliation with the Father and life eternal…
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Paul tells us in that God is reconciling “all things, whether on earth or in heaven” to Himself through Christ… “through the blood of his cross.”
God is getting ready to make all things new.... When we come to the book of Revelation, we are able to watch God’s plan of redemption come to its final conclusion.
Sin is ultimately judged, and the saints are forever with Christ…
As we reflect on the revelation of God’s Character and His Actions… this passage also instructs us about how we are to respond to God.
III. Response to God (4:11b)
How are those in the throne room of God responding to the truths of who God is… as they are in His very presence?
“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.”
They are responding in worship.
a. Worship -
Those in the presence of God are responding to God’s revelation in worship… they are acknowledging God’s glory, His honor, and His power… His very character…
Verse 11 begins with the word “Worthy”.
Worthy… - explain word study…
Let’s think through what those in the throne room mean when they say “worthy”.
The word used here, translated as “worthy” in our English Bibles… is a word that was used to describe the Roman emperor when he marched into the city as part of a triumphant procession. It is a word that expresses the action of drawing down.. or weighing down the scale..(illustration of the market place… the item of higher value will draw down… weigh down the scale… ).. and in the context of expresses the truth of something being of a high degree of value or worth…
The word used here, translated as “worthy” in our English Bibles… is a word that was used to describe the Roman emperor when he marched into the city as part of a triumphant procession. It is a word that expresses the action of drawing down.. or weighing down the scale..(illustration of the market place… the item of higher value will draw down… weigh down the scale… ).. and in the context of expresses the truth of something being of a high degree of value or worth…
Those in the throne room of heaven are ascribing a high degree of worth to God… why?
Those in the throne room of heaven are ascribing a high degree of worth to God… why?
Based on our study today… we can say, because of His Character… and because of His Actions.
This future example of throne room worship helps us to see what Jesus may have had in mind when He said in that those who worship the Father will worship in spirit and in truth.
Those around the throne are focused on glorifying the Father because of the truth of who He is.... the truth of what He has done… whole-heartedly desiring to be with God and give Him all the glory that He is worthy of.
Conclusion/ Application:
As we worship our Lord.... our God… in Spirit and in Truth, we are able to worship because we are responding to the truth about who God really is....
when we worship… we are responding to God’s revelation… the truth of God’s character…and His actions.... and His promises....
What is a main idea from today’s text?
What is a main idea from today’s text?
— “The True worship of God flows from an accurate understanding of God” —
Our affections for God… are to be rooted in and driven by the truth of God!
Friends, today we have just scratched the surface of the depths of truth regarding who God is....
as believers… when presented with the truth of God from the Scriptures… our hearts should ache to worship Him.
As we read the Word, meditate on the Word… memorize the Word… share it with others.... there should be a deep longing within us to worship.... to reflect glory to God....
Why? Because He is worthy....
“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.”
Truths to take home today:
1. God is the eternal, holy, all-powerful, all-knowing, triune Spirit, One and only true God, who has created all things, sustains all things and is worthy of all glory, honor and praise!
2.
God is the eternal, holy, all-powerful, all-knowing, triune Spirit, One and only true God, who has created all things, sustains all things and is worthy of all glory, honor and praise!
2. Satan and the world do not want you to truly know who God is. There is a spiritual battle in full swing aimed at preventing people from understanding the character and actions of God..... so that they will be kept from responding to the truth of God.
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
3. We are to fight against spiritual blindness. To prevent spiritual blindness.... our hope, faith, confidence, and trust must be in Christ alone… by Faith alone… to God alone be the glory!
How can you grow in your confidence in God? How can we grow in our faith?
— Spending quality time in the Word… committing it to memory… discussing it with people… sharing it with people...
— Submit yourself to a local church body who will keep you accountable and help you to grow and reproduce as a disciple of Christ… (one on one discipling… small group.... ABF.... intentional relationship building.... )… I would love to help you develop a plan for spiritual growth and development....
— Develop and share your faith story:
How do we respond today? Believe what God has said...... Trust in the Lord in all situations.... Respond in faith to the truth of God’s Word… God’s Character… to the truth of who God is… and what He has done.
As we close today, if you are able to stand… please stand with me and let’s repeat those words from … proclaimed by those in the throne room of God..... As we repeat these words of Scripture together.... let’s never get tired of the overwhelming truth that through Christ… we are able to enter into God’s presence.... coming before His throne..... with our praise and adoration of who He is in response to the revelation of Himself.
“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.”
Let’s pray:
Lord and God.... You are worthy of all! You are worthy of all glory, all praise, honor, and blessing… for you created all things and by your will they exist and were created!
Lord, help us to never lose the sense of awe and amazement of who You are! Help us to constantly be overwhelmed by You. Help us to come to you by faith… with open hearts… and a pure desire to worship you because of who you are… all you have done… and all you will do!
Father, Thank you for revealing yourself to us.... through Creation… through your written Word… and most of all through Your Son… Jesus Christ.
Help us to Believe what you have revealed to us through the Word.... Help us to Trust in you throughout all situations of life that we might go through.... and help us to respond in faith to the truth of Your Word… the truth of your Character.... the truth of who You are....
In Jesus name… Amen.