Our God is an Awesome God

Revelation 4:1–11 NIV

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first 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 there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Introduction: - My history with this passage

D.E. - The one lady who grew up Catholic who didn't like this passage because of the fear it put into her.

RCA Worship

Jesus Reveals God.

Interpretation Issues -

Moving into the “What must come after” section of the book, but it is introduced by a scene of what always was, is, and will be scene (Chapters 4-5).

So, The letters are not like some think, different periods of church history.

John coming up to into Heaven is not the Rapture.

Literalists, becoming symbolists when it is convenient for their view. - We must interpret as it was intended - There is no equivalent of this symbolism in the O.T., and Jesus does not explain it this way.

Argument that the church is not mentioned hereafter - Oh but it is, John just does not use the term church, but the symbolism that is drawn from the O.T.

This Passage is simply, Jesus inviting John to enter the Heavenly Throne Space of God so that John (and us) can know who God is, and then ultimately see God’s perspective on History and His Redemptive History.

1. John is beckoned into heaven by the same voice that called to him write down what he saw as a letter to the churches (1:11). As John enters into heaven, he is told that he is to come and see what must take place. Morris states, “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” (Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 20 [Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1987], 88, Logos). In chapter 4, the focus of the letter changes from dealing with what is currently happening to what will be happening in the future. John’s vision begins in a throne room, and he will return back to the theme of thrones for the remainder of the letter. Morris explains, “He is very interested in thrones, and specifically in the throne of God which he mentions in almost every chapter. He uses the word throne forty-seven times out of a total of sixty-two times in the New Testament. The emphasis he gives the term may be gauged from the fact that in Matthew, the book with the next highest number, the word occurs only five times. 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” (Leon Morris, Revelation, 88). Worship becomes key to the scene. If we are truly to be victorious as Jesus intends, then a place must be secured in our hearts to worship God for all he has done. As John sets the stage, the thrones add to the awe of worship.

What John sees is a mash up of what Isaiah say in chapter 6, What Ezekiel say in Chapter 1, What Moses and Israel Saw in Exodus 19, and Zechariah saw in chapter 4. So, here is the question, “How symbolic is the imagry here?” Highly, but it is real as well, and it is shared throughout scripture. This scene points to what the O.T. said about God, but I think it should be noted that the flow goes in the opposite direction. This is God of which the O.T. points to....

Example, why the Jasper and ruby - Breastplate of the High Priest - The first and last stone representing the 12 tribes - Jasper being the color of the New Jerusalem - We are reminded that priests mediate the relationship between God and Humans - We are his people.

The Rainbow - Reminded of the Covenant to Noah. The Word in Hebrew means War-Bow, that becomes the symbol of peace - There is this sense of God being full of Justice and full of Mercy - His Glory, His Holiness.

24 Elders - 1 Chonicles 24, David divided the leaders of the Worshipping priests into 24 divisions. Since the new Jerusalem has the twelve tribes of Israel on the gates, and the twelve apostles of the Lamb on the foundations some have said they represent those two groups. - Representatives of the whole people of God “Universal Church.”

How Can This Be? - John has entered a scene above time and space. - In Chapter 6 we will get back to something that looks like human history, but before then we are introduced to God who will direct human history from outside of time. We will see human history from God’s perspective - Hugh Ross Illustration

Creatures song - who was, who is, and who is coming. - Timeless, Eternal

Elders Dressed in White - Andrew accurately made note that white clothing represents Jesus’ righteousness

Crowns of Gold - Remember from the letters to the Churches - Those who Persevere will rule with Jesus. - These 24 Elders are representatives of the Universal Church - All Time and Place who have persevered in their allegiance to the Lord.

Flashes of lightning and peals of Thunder - Reminds us of the Israelites at the base of Mt. Sinai when God’s presence is frighteningly powerful

Vs. 8 - Creatures Song - All Powerful

Seven Torches - The sevenfold spirit - Isaiah 11:2 - Of the Lord, of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord. These are torches that correspond to the lampstands (the churches) - It is the Spirit who lights up the churches to be the light of the world.

The Crystal Sea - The Sea in Jewish thinking is a place of chaos and death, as a wild and untamed place., but here the Sea is Crystal - Reminds us of Genesis 1 - and the Spirit hovered over the surface of the waters - A phrase meaning the Spirit brought order out of Chaos.

So here is the picture of God using this amazing O.T. imagry.

God is Holy

God is Glorious

God is indescribable - John is giving us a sense, but notice no description of God’s figure as to make him an idol.

God is All Powerful

God is Timeless, Eternal

God is Covenantal -

God is full of justice, and mercy

God poors out his Spirit.

God Tames the Chaos, while being uncontainable Himself.

God is the Ruler above all Rule

We will see in a bit God is also all-Seeing

and that God has created all - things.

Note: facebook friend who said that the God of the O.T. is not the same as the God of the N.T. - Revelation does not give us that option.

God is Awe-Inspiring.

After attending church one Sunday morning, a little boy knelt at his bedside that night and prayed, "Dear God, we had a good time at church today--but I wish you had been there"

Contributed by: Jeffery Anselmi

1. When the heavenly hosts worship God, they do so in various ways, with the final goal being complete adoration. Alan Johnson explains, “In Hebrew, the double repetition of a word adds emphasis, while the rare threefold repetition designates the superlative and calls attention to the infinite holiness of God—the quality of God felt by creatures in his presence as awesomeness or fearfulness (Ps 111:9: ‘Holy and awesome is his name’)” (Alan Johnson, Hebrews–Revelation, Expositor’s Bible Commentary [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 463], 1981, Logos). Again, Johnson states, “When the living creatures confess the truth of God’s holy deeds, the response of the highest order of God’s heavenly creatures is to relinquish their crowns of honor before the feet of him who alone is ‘worthy’ of ‘glory and honor and power’ because he alone (no man, not even the emperor) is the source and stay of every created thing (Ps 33:6–9; 102:25; 136:5ff.)” (Johnson, Revelation, 465).

The Creature - They are crazy are they not.

Again a mash up of Isaiah’s vision of the throne of God, and Ezekiel’s. - Similar creatures being mentioned there as well.

Represent all creatures on earth - but why only 4

In Ezekial they are facing the four corners of the earth.

So it is imagry to say, all wild animals (Lion), all livestock (ox), all birds of the air (eagle), and all humans from all of the earth are called to worship the Lord.

The wings covered in eyes.

In Ezekiel the wings represent covering and flying. Covering eyes and feet so as to be protected by the intense holiness of being in the presence of God

Flying and the fact their wings are covered in eyes is ties into Ezekiels vision where it implies they carry the throne of God going over all the face of the earth seeing everything that happens on the earth.

So God is also all seeing, and all of earth’s history will culminate in its recognizing God and worshipping of God.

From their vantage point of seeing all of earth’s happenings and being in the presence of God - They are in awe of God.

How completely other God is from all of creation (creation being from God and being completely fragile, error prone, and while having a reflection of the artist, completely unlike the artist) - God is Holy.

God is All-Powerful unlike creation.

God is Eternal unlike creation

The 24 Elders - Representatives of the Church.

Given Righteousness we will see later on by Jesus.

Rule with Jesus for eternity

They are in awe, they agree with the creatures, and are humbled in God’s presence.

God is Alone Worthy of our Worship.

Henry Ward Beecher knew he was going to be absent from the pulpit of Plymouth Church one Sunday, so he asked his brother to preach for him. When the worship service began, and it became apparent that the great preacher would not be speaking that particular morning, some people got up and started to leave. At that point, Beecher’s brother stepped into pulpit and said, "All of those who came to hear Henry Ward Beecher preach this morning should take this opportunity to leave; all of those who came to worship God may remain." After that no one else left the sanctuary.

Contributed by: Matthew Sickling

Value Statement

The focus of Worship is not for us but to give glory to God. We believe worship includes: praise in song and music, prayer to the Father, and reading God’s Word. We also believe that as we worship the Trinity, God blesses us and communicates His Presence to us faithfully.

Application Point?

* Is our worship glorifying to God?

* Is our worship focused on God and not us?

* If so how are we celebrating this?

* How can we take steps to increase our glory towards God?

the 24 Elders - take off their crowns

They humble themselves and realize that they only are their because of Christ’s grace and righteousness

They only have power and sit on thrones because God put them there.

So they give it all back.

Those who save their lives will lose it, but those who lose their lives for my sake will have eternal life.

Only God is worthy to receive glory, honor, and power.

receive - God has an unending supply.

Why because of his creating all things.

Church adding value?

Conclusion: